A House Not Built From Hands
by FallenFerne
Summary: Seras, an orphaned teenager rumored to be a witch, is sent fleeing into the forbidden forest by the townspeople of her home village. She had heard stories of the land beyond the forest. The townspeople said the devil lived there, that Lucifer himself owned those lands... But what will Seras Victoria find when she passes that threshold? AXS, AU
1. Running

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ So this is something I've been wanting to write, even before Unchained. Little to no things in this fic will be canon, and it is purely AU (alternate universe). SerasXAlu, but in the past? DUN DUN DUN! ~suspenseful music~

 _*** I don't own Hellsing or Alucard or Seras, Alexander Anderson, or any other Canon characters. I only own OC's and the plot, baby. ***_

* * *

Seras ran through the woods, twigs and thorns cutting her feet, her legs. She was exhausted, but she couldn't stop, not with them after her, not now. She felt the hot tears on her face cooling as the chilly fall air hit her. The breeze ran through her hair as she dodged trees and arrows. She could smell the fire as it grew and burned, smoke drifting through the scenery like dark fog. Her lungs burned and her bare feet begged her to stop, but she couldn't. Not until she was out of the woods.

The villagers, the men and women she once knew, people she grew up with, they now wanted her dead. They were chasing her, they wanted to kill her, gut her, burn her at the stake. They called her a heretic, a witch, called her possessed, a friend to the devil. But until tonight, they tolerated her presence. But now, now, they hunted her with bows and arrows, pitchforks and swords, on horses and feet. They forced her into the woods, the forbidden, terrifying, _dark_ woods. The forest that she had been warned to never go past, as a child. Now, the exit of these woods were her only chance at sanctuary. Her only chance to _live._

She could see it now, the end of the forest. The smooth cut off of dark, woody scenery to… something else, shrouded in mystery and fog. _50 feet away… 40 feet away… 30 feet away… 20 feet away… 10 feet away… Come on Seras!_ Her foot finally crosses the threshold and she felt herself be hit.

* * *

Her shoulder burned and she fell. She could hear the men telling each other to stop, the horses neighing in fear. She fell into the fog past the forest, gripping her shoulder. She stood back up, feet shaky and aching, and kept going. She couldn't see anything through the thick fog. The air felt… different somehow, more electric. She breathed it in, grunting and groaning and trying not to scream at the pain traveling through her shoulder and down to her arm.

Her eyes and head darted around, trying to see something, anything, but she couldn't. Her mouth was dry, and she felt herself starting to cry again. She didn't stop running, the motion kept her mind off of the sharp pain in her body. She knew that the arrow had hit bone, maybe even gone through it. She needed somebody to help her, a doctor. But she was lost in the sea of mist, clouds on the ground blocking anything from her view. She heard a crow cawing around her suddenly and turned to find it. She kept running as she turned her head and found herself tripping.

* * *

She tripped on an exposed root of some sort, her foot catching in it and sending her rolling down a… _cliff? A hill? A mountain? Am I going to die?_ Her shoulder sent waves of pain through her every nerve with each roll. She screamed and covered her head as best as she could. She rolled quickly, feeling sharp branches and stones cutting and bruising her tender, aching flesh. She rolled faster and faster, further and further. Her heart was racing, and she prepared to die. She opened her eyes and peaked through her arms to see lush, green scenery rolling around her. She looked out past it and saw a large, elegant castle in the distance. She screamed again as she felt herself being thrown in the air, falling off the edge of whatever she was rolling on. She turned around in the air, her face toward the ground as it came closer. She threw her arms out to try and break the fall, and she a sharp bump and something crack against her head as more pain rushed through her veins and the world went black.

* * *

Seras felt herself being lifted up gently. She felt the steady rocking and bumping of somebody carrying her, but couldn't open her eyes. All she could do was moan in discomfort and pain she felt throughout her body. She couldn't even think about anything, just _feel._ Soon, she felt herself being placed down on something soft, one of her arms falling off the edge of it. She moaned some more and felt her head roll back and forth. She heard voices around her.

"My, my! What have we got 'ere?" _A woman?_

"I found her on the outskirts of the grounds. She's injured. I don't know what happened." _A boy, he sounds young, perhaps?_

"The Master isn't going to be pleased that you brought her here."

"Well, what should I have done? Left her to die? Bleed to death? Starve? Get eaten by animals – or worse? No, I did the right thing."

"Aye, you did. But, like I said, he isn't going to be pleased."

"When's he due back?"

"Ah, I believe he said he'd be back by nightfall. It's only a half-hour from now."

"All right, let's try and patch her up quickly then."

"Aye."

She felt herself drifting back into the blackness, floating in it. _Is this death? I'm dying aren't I? I'm dying and going to hell. It's calming. Peaceful. It's fine. I can go now. I'm fine with this._

* * *

Seras was awakened by a searing pain in her shoulder. Her eyes popped open and she screamed, her whole body convulsing and contorting in agony.

"Hold her still!"

"Yes, ma'am!" She felt hands gripping her legs, her other shoulder, and holding them down, their grip tight. She looked around the room as it spun. She saw figures, but couldn't make out faces. She felt dizzy just by keeping her eyes open. She groaned and yelled in pain, begging them to stop.

"Miss, you need to calm down. If you don't you'll only hurt yourself more." She snarled and yelped at every sensation. She felt the arrow she had been struck with forcing its way back through her flesh, the sharp tip tearing through more muscle and stopping mid-way through her.

"Oh lord, it's stuck!"

"What?!" The grip on her let go and she thrashed around, trying to make the pain stop. _I have to get away, I have to! They're only hurting me more! I have to escape!_ She screamed and threw her head back, hitting a soft surface over and over. She stopped screaming once her throat became raw, and instead opted on whimpering and whining. She heard a deep voice call out somewhere in the room.

"What is this?"

"Master, I-"

"What are you doing? What do you think you're doing?" The voice was angry, the words a thick growl. The man had an accent, and spoke roughly. His voice scared Seras and she started to squirm about again, lazily. She spoke for the first time, her voice slow and thick, her words slurred and hazy.

"I have to go… Let me go. Just let me die. I'm ready. I'm ready… I can die now…"

* * *

 **So? Yay, nay? Sorry for such a short intro chapter, but I've gotta keep ya hooked somehow. :)**


	2. Getting Aquainted

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ So, it was really fun writing last chapter! I'm glad some people enjoyed it! So, since this is an alternate universe fic, Seras and Alucard (in his Vlad form) will have slightly different personalities, mainly Alucard since was never imprisoned and tortured by Hellsing. So he will have a more... playful personality. He's still cruel and violent and a monster, but he will be more playful. Does that make sense? And for a time reference, this takes place sometime between 1600-1700's, in an alternate universe, where some things exist, some other things do not. Many characters are OC's. Next to nothing will be canon in this fic, so if you could please take it as a 'Hellsing Inspired' fic, less of a 'Hellsing Canon' fic. There's no Mina, and he is in England not as a count, but as Vlad. Thanks! Hope you like it and sorry for the delay!

 _*** I don't own Hellsing. If you're selling it, hit me up fam. ***_

* * *

Seras opened her eyes slowly, light assaulting her senses. She hissed slightly as they opened fully. She furrowed her brow, confused. _Where am I? What happened? Oh, that's right. Somebody took me in. How… kind. There were voices, and pain. They must have been trying to help me. What are my injuries?_ She leaned up on one of her elbows, finding that she was placed in a large bed.

The bed was elegant, with smooth, dark, silk sheets. It was warm and comfortable despite the pounding pain throughout her body. Her head throbbed and she took a sharp breath at the pain. She whimpered slightly, moving herself to sit up in the soft bed. She looked around the room slowly, careful not to move her neck too quickly. _My whole body is stiff. Everything hurts so badly._ She looked over to her left shoulder and saw that it had been bandaged. _They got the arrow out? I must have gone unconscious. They helped me… Nobody has ever done that. How am I going to repay them? I have no money, no wealth, no name. I have nothing worth anything._

She sighed and moved her stiff body to the edge of the bed. She let her feet dangle since she was too short for her feet to touch the floor. She was still wearing her dress, the once creamy white fabric of the skirt, now stained with mud and blood, tattered and ruined. Her blue bodice was still on as well, but the ribbon ties were loosened. She leaned down, lifting up the tattered hem of her skirt to peer at her legs.

Her pale flesh was barely showing through the layers of filth that covered it. She saw bruises, along with several deep cuts that had been stitched closed. A long one ran up the length of her calf, and she ran her finger over it. She flinched at the sudden burn that came with her touch, and pulled her finger away quickly. Her flesh was scraped and skinned on nearly every inch that she could see. She sighed and stood.

She wobbled for a few seconds, placing her hand on the bed quickly to catch her balance. She blinked quickly as her vision started to fade, her head pounding harder. She groaned and pushed herself from the bed, forcing her feet to walk. She wasn't wearing her shoes, and her feet were bruised and aching. The leg with the long cut hurt too much to walk on, causing her to limp slowly. She studied her surroundings to find that she was in a large bedroom, dimly lit by several candles on the walls. The walls were dark, a shade of red. The room was oddly unsettling, filled with what appeared to be antique furniture and expensive, if disturbing, art. The entire room was elegant, obviously belonging to that of a wealthy individual. _A lord? Prince?_ She walked towards a large dresser and placed her hand on it, savoring the feeling of the cool wood on her heated flesh. She looked on it, finding a hand-held mirror sitting on it. She picked it up, fingering the ornate brass of the handle before turning it to peer at her own reflection.

Her face was sunken in, much thinner than the last time she'd seen herself. _It has been a while since I've had a meal that consisted of anything more than a few apples. I would kill for a potato, or even some fresh bread. Mm._ She turned her face around, watching the shadows move. She had dark circles under her eyes, and one of her cheeks were bruised. Her face wasn't as bad looking as she thought it would be, after hitting her head on that stone. She opened her mouth, baring her teeth to find that none had been knocked out. _Thank goodness._ She sighed, noticing her dirty hair hanging limply around her face. _I need a bath._ Seras sat the mirror back face down, and walked further into the room.

There were several chairs, as well as a large table sat against a wall, facing a window. She hobbled over to it, to find that the table was covered in documents. She thought to look at them, but didn't want to be caught snooping in her savior's home. Instead, she looked out the window. She saw that the ground was far below her. As she looked out, she saw lush green wild-life and beautiful forest. It was dark, but not night. The sun was setting, the sky turning grey. _A storm must be coming. I'm glad I'm in doors. Hopefully, I will be allowed to stay the night._ As she leaned closer into the window, she heard a door open and a voice call out.

"Oh! You're finally awake, dear!" Seras turned around slowly, finding a woman standing several feet from her. The woman was taller than her, and older. She wasn't old, perhaps in her thirties. She was rather beautiful, if slightly masculine in the face. She had curly ginger hair, clipped out of the way of her face. She wore what seemed like servants clothing, a dark blue jumper-skirt with a black, long sleeved blouse. Her skin was dark, tanned from labor, most likely. Her face was splattered with a light dusting of pale freckles, most on her cheeks and nose. Her eyes were kind and a dark brown. _They almost appear red in this light. How odd…_ The woman smiled kindly and cocked her head. "See somethin' you like, Miss?" Seras' eyes widened slightly and she blushed before looking away.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." She heard the woman chuckle.

"Oh, no, dear. It's quite alright. I'm just glad you're finally awake!" Seras turned back to the woman and noticed she held clothing in her arms. _How did I miss that?_ The woman walked over to the large bed and placed the pile of clothing on it. She came back, smoothing her skirt down. She turned to Seras and motioned for her to follow the woman to one of the large chairs in the room.

Seras sat and the woman came in close to her, pulling one of her sleeves down to look at the bandages on her shoulder. She placed her hand on it firmly pressing it down. Seras whimpered and moved away. "Oh, darling, I'm sorry! How are you feeling?" The woman's accent was different than hers, more loose. There was a hint of something foreign in her words as well, but Seras couldn't place it. She cleared her throat and looked back into the woman's dark eyes.

"Everything hurts. But it's bearable. I've felt worse, so I'm used to it." Her words sounded rude to her, so she quickly spoke again. "I just mean that I'm fine. I don't want to be any trouble to you." The woman smiled gently and leaned down, perching on her knees in front of Seras.

"Sweatheart, you're no trouble at all. Master has allowed us to take care of you."

"Your master? The master of the home?" The woman nodded. "Where is he? Where am _I_? I'm so confused, ma'am." Her voice was more emotion-filled than she had wanted, but she couldn't take the words back.

"Call me Maya. My Master has gone to a nearby village. He needed to collect a debt from a man that lives there. He'll be back shortly, he left several hours ago. You don't know where you are?" Seras shook her head. Maya frowned slightly. "Where are you from, love?"

"I was staying in a village called Adisham Kent." Maya stood and hummed in response.

"Ah, that's past the Cloresely Forest, right?" Seras furrowed her eyebrows. "You were found several kilometers past the edge of the forest."

"Oh, we just call it The Forbidden Wood."

"Why's that?" Seras' eyes looked around for a second before shrugging.

"It's forbidden, I suppose." Maya laughed.

"Makes sense!"

"You said I was found." The woman nodded. "By who? And how?"

"That was Wren. He was chasing after one of the Master's dogs and followed him to the clearing. The beast was whining, sitting next to you. Wren says the damned thing kept nudging you with its nose, patting your face with its paws. Tryin' to wake you up, I 'spose. As soon he saw you, he checked to make sure you were breathing. He saw your wounds and figured you needed assistance. He was right. Master said that if we hadn't found you and helped, you likely would have died. Either from infection, starvation… well, you get it. Wren brought you back all the way here." Seras' mouth hung agape slightly.

"I deeply apologize! I didn't mean to put you all out so much! You honestly didn't have to help me. I'll do whatever I can to repay you."

"No, dear. You needn't owe use anything."

"I insist. I shall do whatever I can to repay you all." Maya smiled and rolled her eyes. "What does Wren do?"

"Oh, he does anything and everything. He cleans, cooks, accompanies Master on trips and journeys. He'll do anything he can. Doesn't like being idle, I suppose." Seras nodded.

"What of your master? If it's not too much, who is he? What does he do? If I'm correct, when I fell from the cliff, as I hit my head, I thought I saw a large castle in the distance. Is this it?"

"Aye. You say you fell from that ledge? Makes sense. You did seem to have hit your head rather nasty." She placed her palm to Seras forehead before putting a finger in front of her face. "Follow my finger." Seras did. "You don't seem to have any serious damage. But only time can tell. Now, I'm sure Master will tell you everything he feels is necessary on his return. As many questions we all have for you, we won't pry. You can tell what you want, we won't force the details." She paused for a second as if thinking. "Well, I won't. My Master may. But don't worry, he's not too cruel to guests. There is one thing I'd like to know, dear."

"Yes?"

"What's your name?" Seras smiled slightly.

"Seras Victoria." Maya nodded appreciatively.

"Beautiful name. Unique. I don't think I've heard one like that before." Seras felt herself blush.

"Thank you… Maya." The woman nodded before pointing to Seras' body.

"Surely you'd like to get washed up? Why don't a run you a bath before supper, then you can change into those clothes. They should fit you." Seras nodded vigorously, ready to be cleaned.

"Oh, please, that would be wonderful." Maya smiled wide and ushered for Seras to follow her as she took off and opened a door Seras hadn't noticed.

 _Well, I hadn't noticed the bedroom door either._ She stood and walked slowly, hissing in pain with each step. Maya stood in the door way, holding the door for Seras. As she walked in, she realized that it was a room, specifically for bathing. _Cor, the master must really be wealthy. I've heard about these, but only the most wealthy and noble of people have them. Amazing…_ Her eyes widened as she took in the gorgeous room.

In the center of the room was a large porcelain tub, the body white with the feet in gold claws. The floor was of carpet in here as well, the deep burgundy standing out against the white tub. She walked in further and saw a large mirror leaning against the wall. The large glass sheet was framed by elegant gold in a beautiful twirling pattern. She stared at her reflection, seeing her bruised and beaten body. She looked away quickly.

"You wait here as I go to heat up some water. It'll only be a moment, Miss Victoria." Seras nodded and stood.

She waited for several minutes, counting the scraped and bruises she saw. Underneath the filth, she counted 27 bruises and 15 cuts, not counting the ones that were stitched. _There's probably more without the grime. Ugh, I feel disgusting._ Maya came back into the bathing room, multiple large buckets in tow. She held a large wooden pole on her shoulders, buckets full of steaming water hanging from it. Seras smiled at the woman and she placed the pole down, setting buckets on the ground.

"Now, there should be some soap in the basket over there," she pointed to a woven basket in the corner of the room, "and supper should be ready by the time you're dried and dressed. I'll come get you when it is, so don't go anywhere." She stood up, having filled the tub. She looked to Seras and walked to her. She placed her hand on Seras' shoulder. "Don't go wondering. You might get lost, especially since you've never even been out of this room. Can you do that?" Seras nodded, though she was interested in searching through the large estate.

"I can." Maya smiled and nodded, taking her leave.

* * *

Seras was left alone in the bathing room, and she watched the steam pour from the tub. She sighed turned to the large mirror and undressed. She untied her bodice and peeled the light blue fabric from her body gently. Every movement sent waves of pain through her, and she felt tears threatening to spill. She finally stripped all of her clothing and stared at her naked body.

There were dark purple marks all over her torso, and on her breasts. She noticed how thin she actually was. Her thighs had a large gap between them, and her hip bones jutted out, so unlike the once healthy figure she once had. She turned to the side and saw her spine also cast shadows on her body. She sighed. _I look sickly. I suppose I can understand why some people think I'm a witch. Well, they're not wrong._ She decided to peel off the bandages from her shoulder. Blood stained each layer, and she winced as the last layer was peeled from her wound.

Beneath the bandages was a large, partially healed wound, surrounded by bruising. She turned to see nearly the same wound on the other side of her shoulder, bruises traveling down her back. She touched it, running her hand over it lightly and feeling the pain pulse through her. She whimpered. _I'll be lucky if it ever heals correctly. I'll be even luckier if all it does is leave a scar. It's not as if I didn't ask for this though. It's my fault. I should have ran faster._ She ran her hand through her dirty hair before walking and picking up a bar of sweet smelling soap from the basket.

As she walked to the bath, she stuck a finger in to the water to test the heat. Satisfied with the heat, she brought herself into it, fully submerging herself. She hummed at the feeling of the warm water surrounding her body. She stretched out her legs, not even touching the end of the large tub. Gently, she started to scrub at her flesh, watching the grime leave her milky skin. "Too bad I can't wash away these ugly bruises." She chuckled. "Since when have you cared about beauty, Seras?"

She made her way up to her shoulder wound, gently running the soap over it. She cringed and let a throaty, pained moan escape her lips. Satisfied with her body's cleanliness, she submerged her head in the water, getting her hair wet. She washed her hair under the water until she was sure that it was completely clean.

She smiled and lifted herself out of the bath. She saw a pile of towels sitting in a corner behind her. She walked to them and picked one up, drying herself off. She walked back over to the floor-length mirror and looked at her now clean self.

"It's an improvement, but I'm still bruised and skinny. At least my face looks better." She examined her body before smiling and feeling in higher spirits. Seras wrapped the towel around her body before walking back into the bedroom. She went to the clothes on the bed to find that they were rather nice. There was a dark, short sleeved dress and a blue bodice, similar to her own. There was a pair of beautiful black knickers and Seras giggled quietly. "Black knickers? How indecent, how whore-like!"

She dressed herself stretched her back. She sat for a while, feeling her hair dry. _I shouldn't leave a mess._ Sighing, walked back into the bathing room to fold up her filthy clothes. She pushed them into a neat pile. She looked at her reflection. "This isn't much different than what I usually wear, just darker." She noticed that with the cut of the dress, she could see her shoulder wound. She narrowed her eyes, wishing she had kept the bandage on. She looked to her feet. "Where are my shoes?" A knock came at the door, making her jump. She walked out of the bathing room and opened the main door.

Maya stood there smiling. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in Seras' form. Her smile widened. "You look beautiful!" Seras laughed.

"Oh? You mean underneath all the bruises? I'm sure." Maya shook her head, entering the room. She looked to Seras' shoulder.

"You removed the bandage! Thank god, now I don't have to do it." The woman chuckled. "We just have to put a smaller bandage on you, and then we can get some food in you." Seras smiled and the woman pulled two large gauze pads from a pocket in her dress. "Can I move your sleeve?" Seras nodded and allowed the woman to place the square bandages on her wound. After she'd finished, she cocked her head at Seras. "All done! Let's get you fed." Seras looked to her bare feet and spoke.

"Where are my shoes?" Maya blinked quickly, before looking around the room.

"Uh, I believe they're by the bed. Stay here, I'll go look." The woman bolted to the bed before Seras could say otherwise. "Aha! Right here!" The woman came back into view, Seras' black slippers in hand. _I'm lucky they didn't break, and that I didn't lose one._

* * *

Seras followed Maya as she led her down winding hallways and staircases, each step of which pained her. Seras had several questions floating in her brain, but she had learned long ago to just go with things. She decided to ask one question, however.

"Is your master back?"

"Yes, he's been back for a while."

Seras nodded and murmured an 'oh'. She felt nervous at the thought of meeting the mysterious man. _What if he's like the villagers? What if he runs me out of here, too? No, I can't run. He'd just kill me. Maybe he's not like them._ Maya stopped walking halfway through the hallway they were in. She turned to Seras, face slightly nervous.

"Master can be intimidating, I want to warn you. He won't hurt you, but you may feel that way." Seras cocked her head. "He's not from England, so his ways and mannerisms may be a little odd to you. He doesn't speak much either. Like I said, he can be intimidating. He's not used to guests."

"You said earlier that he was collecting some sort of debt from somebody? What does he do?" Maya blinked for a moment before answering.

"Master does lots of things. Nothing that would concern you much." As Maya spoke, Seras noticed her teeth. _They seem sharp. Maybe my eyes have been damaged?_ "Past here is the dining quarters. We've prepared -"

"Oh, I hope you didn't go to too much trouble!" Maya waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry, it's not often we have guests. It made us feel more useful."

"Oh? Do you not cook often?" Maya cleared her throat slightly before turning back around.

"Not much, no." Seras furrowed her brow and started walking behind Maya. As they walked closer to a large door at the end of the hall, she could hear voices. They were men, and she could barely make out their words.

"Master, he was positively shaking in his boots!"

"I don't understand why humans make deals just to shirk their debts." This voice was deeper, an accent present in the words.

"Oh, but I think being offered a man's virgin daughter is a good settlement, sir." One of them laughed, _probably the one with the accent. Didn't Maya say that he was foreign?_

"Wren, she wasn't even attractive."

"Not even a little?"

"No. Besides, I don't like taking people as payment."

"Why?"

"It's not their life to give."

Seras stopped as Maya opened the large doors, allowing her to enter a room. She saw a large wooden table, the top of which was covered in food. Dishes of food, potatoes, carrots, bread and meat sat on top of it. Seras' mouth fell open slightly at the sight and she spoke in awe. "I don't think I've ever seen so much food in my life." Maya chuckled. Seras heard the voices from before quiet before one exclaimed.

"Would you look at that! She doesn't look half bad all cleaned up! Rather pretty actually." She looked to the voice and saw a young man, around her age standing by the head of the table. He was tall and pale. His eyes were light, green. His hair was a dark brown, falling just to his shoulders. He was smiling at her before a hand went out and hit his stomach, causing him to double over and cough. The hand belonged to an older man, sitting at the head of the table. He had long, ebony hair falling down his back. It was wavy, almost curly. She looked to his face for a moment, taking in his features quickly. He was incredibly handsome, but Maya was right, he _did_ look intimidating. He seemed tall, his head reaching far over the chair he sat in. His eyes were dark and red. _Perhaps that's normal where he's from? Or maybe he's the devil._ Seras wanted to laugh at her own silent joke, but continued studying his face. The man had a mustache, but it wasn't thick. He seemed to have slight stubble on his jawline, but it only added further to his attractiveness. The man was looking to the younger one as he spoke.

"Now, Wren. Don't speak about our guest that way. It's rude." _Did he just punch that boy?_

"Are you alright?" Seras stepped forward, walking closer to the pair of men. The younger one, Wren, looked up to Seras' worried face before coughing once more and standing back up straight. He ruffled his hair, trying to play off the pain he felt.

"Me? You're the one who just got back from some sort of war. Look at your leg!" She did, seeing the long stitched cut on her calf. She shrugged.

"It's nothing. My fault." The older man cocked his head slightly, looking at her. He spoke, his voice silky and deep.

"What's your name?" She turned to him and pushed some hair from her face.

"Seras Victoria." He hummed and brought a goblet to his lips, sipping something from it.

"Quite a beautiful name." Seras blushed and looked away. "Well, why don't you have a seat? This food isn't all for nothing, you know." She looked back up to him and nodded quickly, hurting her neck. She looked around her to see that Maya had left. She walked to a seat near the pair of men and sat. She was sat right in front of a wide array of vegetables and started placing them on her plate.

* * *

She had carrots, potatoes, and bread on her plate. She started eating, taking small bites. _I am so hungry. But I have to make this last in case anything happens._ She scoped out the room to find two doors, other than the one she came in from. _In case anything happens, I have to choose one of these doors to run to. Always choose left._ She heard the two men conversing, but they weren't speaking English. She listened, but didn't look. She didn't want to be caught snooping. _Perhaps it's German? No, German sounds different. I remember hearing some of the merchants that went through town speaking German and it was… not this._ A voice brought her from her thoughts.

"We're speaking Romanian." Her head jerked up and she turned to the men. Wren had sat down next to the older man, and looked between him and Seras. Seras blinked at him for a moment before clearing her throat.

"It's none of my business." He smirked slightly and nodded.

"You were wondering, though."

"That's true." The man leaned forward in his chair slightly, lacing his fingers and placing his hands on the table.

"So what happened to you? Where are you from? Seras is quite a unique name, isn't it?" She sat down the bread she was nibbling on and turned her body to the man.

"I've never met another person with my name, so I suppose you're right. I'm from Adisham Kent. I was…" She cleared her throat and looked away, "I was forced to leave." She motioned to her shoulder. "Obviously." She chuckled quietly. The man's eyebrow arched. _Lord, he's really attractive._

"Is that so?" Seras nodded. "And why would an entire village force such a beautiful girl to leave?"

"Well, they didn't quite tell me to leave. It was either run away or get tortured and killed." Wren gasped.

"They wanted to kill you? Why? What did you do?" The older man looked quickly to Wren and said something in Romanian again, silencing the boy. Seras answered his questions anyway.

"They said I was a witch. They were going to torture me, then burn me like firewood. I had to run from them. I didn't do anything. Or at least, I didn't do anything wrong." The man nodded.

"Why would they assume such a thing about you?" Seras shrugged.

"I suppose it's partly because I don't follow any of the churches path's. I don't worship their god, so I must be against him. Partly because I'm educated. Girls aren't supposed to read or write, but I can. Those two things add up to heresy." The man with the mustache grinned, red eyes full of humor.

"Oh? If you don't believe in god, what do you believe in?"

"I didn't say I don't believe in god, I just don't worship _their_ god. I don't think that our universe and all that exists in it can be created and watched over by one being. I don't agree with the teachings of the bible, either. There is very little to Christianity that I agree with. I suppose that if I were actually a witch, I'd do very well at it." The man laughed, the sound pleasing to Seras' ears. She smiled at him.

"Yes, I believe you're a heretic! Tell me, does your family know of your situation?" She shook her head.

"I'm an orphan. I've never had a family, and wasn't allowed into any of the orphanages. So I've lived on the generosity of others, and on what I could find for my whole life. I haven't got anybody that cares for me, never have." The boy looked at her with pity as he spoke.

"That must have been hard." Seras laughed.

"Don't pity me, please. Pity is for the dead. I'm still very much alive, thanks to the kindness of you all. Besides, when one has to, they grow up fast. I learned quick how to sneak about, find safe places to sleep, find good food. It wasn't all that hard, to be honest. But perhaps that's just because it's all I've known." She thought she saw a look of admiration flash in the man's eyes but when she looked again, it was gone.

"Is that why you're so skinny?" The older man clucked his tongue and glared at Wren. Seras giggled softly.

"Actually, I've only recently become this size. The past few weeks, I've spent hiding and running from people who wanted my head. I'm usually not quite as sickly looking, I assure you." The younger man smiled and waved as he introduced himself.

"Well, Miss Seras Victoria, my name is Wren Wagner, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." She turned to the older man. "And you? What's your name?" He stared at her for a moment, as if he wasn't sure if he should tell her, then he spoke.

"My name is Vlad. I am the master of the castle." She smiled and played the name back in her mind a few times.

"That's a nice name. Do you have a last?" He shook his head slowly.

"Just Vlad. You can call me that." Wren looked to his master in surprise and spoke in Romanian. Vlad looked over to him and replied, his tone warning. Wren quieted and drank from his own cup, eyes looking away. Vlad leaned back in his seat, examining his long nails. "Wren, why don't you tell us about your day? Surely something exciting happened."

* * *

Wren spoke for several minutes, allowing Seras to finish her plate. She jumped slightly as Vlad suddenly arose from his chair and came over to her. He pulled out the chair next to her and turned it towards her. He sat in it and leaned over to her. Wren stopped talking immediately. Seras looked to him.

"Yes?" He reached his hand forward and touched her shoulder. She flinched at the motion, but realized that he wasn't hurting her. His hand felt like little more than a feather on her. He brought his face towards hers, his eyes roaming her face. "Is there something you need?" His eyes moved to hers quickly, and he smiled warmly.

"How is your shoulder? It didn't look very good when I saw you."

"Oh?" He nodded.

"Mm. You lost consciousness before the arrow was removed."

"I was exhausted."

"You thought you were dying."

"Yes." She couldn't stop looking into his eyes. _They're amazing._

"You lost much blood. Ruined a perfectly good tablecloth. And the table." He smirked at her and she chuckled lightly.

"Well I'm sorry. I can't quite force myself to stop bleeding." His eyes crinkled as he laughed. He brushed his hand against her cheek, moving hair behind her ear.

"I think my hands are still stained from it." She cocked her head.

"What?"

"Neither Maya nor Wren know how to remove an arrow from somebody. Without causing lasting damage, at least. They've never been in a war. I, on the other hand, have knowledge of such things. They were sitting there trying to pull it out of you like a sliver. If I hadn't come back when I did, you might have lost most of your mobility in that arm."

"Oh." _He helped me? He didn't seem the type to help somebody. Most lords only about themselves_. He sat upright again, a large grin on his face.

"Most people would be thanking me right now."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I just… I didn't know. Thank you." She smiled at him. He raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly, the grin still present.

"How did you sleep?"

"I think I slept well. I didn't dream or anything. Which is fine. But I don't remember anything, so I suppose I slept fine."

"How was my bed?" She froze, her eyes open wide. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"Your… what?"

"My bed. I took you to my room, placed you in my bed. Don't worry, I didn't sleep in it while you were there, draga mea." She could feel the heat in her cheeks and heard Wren laughing.

"Well. Um. Your bed was fine. Thank you." She cleared her throat. She looked up to see him grinning still. "Um, I suppose you're going to want your room back, now that I'm awake." His grin slipped a bit.

"No, you can stay there as long as you'd like. From what I've heard, it's not as if you have anywhere else to go."

"I don't feel right about it. Surely, I can stay in another room?" He blinked for a moment before looking away and nodding.

"I'd like it if you stayed in a room close to mine. I'll take you to one after this." She nodded, then furrowed her brow as a thought came to her head.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Hm?" He looked to her, his face showing only confusion.

"I haven't seen you eat anything. Are… You going to?" His face seemed to light up with some sort of understanding and he spoke.

"Oh, no. I don't eat… much." She nodded. "Surely you must be thirsty. Here." He lifted a large bottle and poured it into a cup. He passed the cup to her and she looked to find it was a dark liquid.

"Is that wine?" He looked at her and smirked.

"What else?" She cleared her throat.

"I've never, well, I don't, um, oh." He laughed and pushed it farther towards her.

"Go on. Don't tell me you've never drank wine before."

"It's not that, it's just that I'm not much of a wine drinker. I mean, I'm only 19 so I haven't had much experience with wine."

"No?"

"No." She looked away for a second before turning back to him and smirking. "I'm more of a whiskey drinker." Vlad laughed deeply, hitting his knee.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Master?" Wren called out to Vlad. He turned to the boy.

"Hm?" Seras sipped the wine in her cup, wrinkly her nose at the taste.

"You don't plan on-"

"No. Hush." Seras didn't pay their exchange any mind, instead focused on drinking the liquid in her cup. She finished it after several minutes and turned to see Vlad sitting back in the chair next to her, his eyes closed. _He looks peaceful. He really is attractive. Handsome. I wonder how old he is? He's at least in his thirties._

She looked to Wren to find him staring at the man as well. He met her gaze and smiled. "I think he's tired."

"I'm fine." Wren rolled his eyes and mouthed his previous statement once more, causing Seras to giggle. Vlad opened his eyes and turned to her.

"Why don't we find you a room?"

"Oh, yes, alright." She smiled and stood as he did. Standing next to him, she realized just how tall he actually was. _He's at least a foot taller than me. He's like a giant!_ He stretched a bit as he stood. He turned to Wren.

"Once I get her into a room, I'm retiring for the night as well. Make sure nobody bothers me." Wren nodded.

* * *

As Seras followed Vlad through the castle, she realized how dark it had become. Candles lit up the halls and staircases brightly, the flames casting long shadows. During supper, she hadn't paid too much attention to what the man wore, but now, as she walked behind him, she did. He appeared to be wearing a suit of armor, a red cape draped around his shoulders. She didn't want to be caught staring at either of the men during supper, so now, with his back turned, she stared. _That armor looks heavy. He must be strong. And he said he was in a war didn't he? Why is he wearing armor now? It's a bit strange… Even so, I can't help but notice it adds to his appearance. Perhaps that's why?_ She was brought out of her examination of his appearance by his deep voice speaking to her.

"You may take the room to the right of mine. I'll have Maya come and bring you anything you may have left in my room." They had reached the hall that his room was in, and he brought her to her new one. She nodded and smiled up at him.

"This really isn't necessary, sir. You needn't give me shelter, I'll do fine on my own." He chuckled and leaned against the door of her room.

"Nonsense. You may stay here until you have fully recovered. Until then, you are welcome in my home. Now," he stood back up and started walking to his room. "If you require anything, come and get me." Seras shook her head quickly.

"No, I don't want to be any-"

"You're none at all. Good evening, Seras Victoria." Her let her name slip out silkily and slow, sending shivers down her spine.

"Good evening." She walked into her room, noticing the similarities to Vlad's. It was smaller, and had less furniture. It didn't appear that anybody had stayed in this room for a very long time, but it was clean, so Seras wasn't quite sure. _This doesn't quite seem like the type of home that sees many visitors. Vlad seems friendly enough, though. There's something about him though… About this place…_ She sat on the bed placed in the far end of the room and sighed, setting her head on the pillow after a moment.

 _Something about him is so…different. Most men I've met have instantly tried to bed me, or touch me. He seemed interested only in my condition. It was… nice. His eyes though, there's something in them. I don't know what it is, but… I think I can almost understand it. Oh, here I am, analyzing a man who so graciously allowed me respite in his amazing home. How rude of me. I wonder, do I fancy him?_ She looked up at the stone ceiling, marveling at the craftsmanship. She could hear the wind howling outside, thunder and lightning dancing outside the window of her room.

She turned and got back up, walking to it. She stood, looking through the finely crafted glass. It was the darkest black she had ever seen, as though the land was covered in a heavy blanket. The only time she saw the details of the forestry and land surrounding the estate was when the lightning flashed by quickly. She turned around, placing her hands on the windowsill and leaning back. She pushed out a deep breath and looked to the clock. _11:00. I've been in here for what? Ten minutes? I can't tell if the time moved quickly or slowly. I suppose I'll lay down and try to sleep._

* * *

As Seras lay in the bed, she found herself unable to sleep. She had counted to 1000, twice. She was counting a third time, but stopped at 672. She opened her eyes and sighed. The storm was still raging, and she sat up in the blankets. Scratching her head, she placed her feet on the carpeted floor. "I'm not tired yet. What am I supposed to do?" She stood, making her way slowly through the darkness of her room. "With the candles out, it sure is bloody dark in here."

Every so often, a bright flash of lightening lit up her surroundings, giving her easier ability to move about. She made her way to a box of matches she had found during a quick inspection of the room, and lit a nearby candle. She sighed happily as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. She carried the candle to one of the finely crafted chairs in the room, setting it on the floor by her feet. She sat there a while, just listening to the rough winds.

After a while, she turned to the large wall-clock to see that it was an hour past midnight. She shifted in the seat, impatiently, before standing. _He said that I could go and get him for_ _ **anything.**_ _I can't sleep. That's something._ She opened the door to the hallway to find that candles were still lit. Far towards the left side of the hallway, she saw what seemed to be Maya walking out of her view. She still appeared to be wearing her work clothes. _They must be more night oriented people._ Leaving her door open, she went back into her room and blew out the candle on her floor, not wanting to start a blaze.

She crept out into the hallway quietly. She didn't think she needed to sneak about, but she was all but conditioned to be quiet at night. She moved over to Vlad's door and pressed her ear to it. She heard sounds coming from inside. _Is he speaking to somebody? I hadn't heard anybody in the hall from my room. Perhaps I shouldn't interrupt them._ As she was about to go back to her room, she sighed at the thought of laying in her bed, bored and alone until dawn. She turned back and knocked lightly at his door. The speaking sounds from inside stopped and she heard heavy footsteps coming to the door.

The door opened and she looked up from the ground to see Vlad standing there. He no longer wore his armor, now in a plain white shirt and dark trousers. His hair seemed messier, as if he was laying down. _Did I interrupt his sleep? Then who was he talking to?_ She met his eyes and his widened slightly before he spoke.

"Seras… Is something the matter?" She saw his eyes travel the expanse of her body and realized that she was only wearing a thin shift that barely reached her calves. She saw his face shift slightly, an eyebrow arching and his eyes narrowing slightly as he made his way back up to her eyes. She smiled embarrassingly and moved her body noncommittally. His eyes stayed on hers and she spoke, rubbing her shoulder across her chest.

"Oh, no, nothing incredibly important. I've just come to the realization that I am unable to sleep. I've been counting for the past few hours, and have noticed that I've nothing else to do. I was wondering if I could, perhaps, pass the time with… you?" Her eyes widened as she realized how her words could be misinterpreted, a blush rising over her cheeks. "I didn't mean like, you know, oh lord." She looked away from his gaze quickly.

Vlad started chuckling, causing Seras to look back to him. He was grinning at her as he laughed. "Come in, Miss Victoria." He moved from the door, letting her into his brightly lit room. She smiled again, inwardly sighing at his kind response. As she walked in, she noticed that there was another man sitting on one of the settee's. He called out.

"Well, well! Vlad, I didn't know you had a lover! Quite young though, isn't she?" The man winked at Seras and she cleared her throat. Vlad closed the door and came to sit on the settee opposite the man.

"Sebastian, this is my guest, Seras Victoria. Seras," he turned to her, motioning for her to sit by him, "this is Sebastian Armand. He is a… an acquaintance of mine." Sebastian looked to Vlad, seemingly insulted. Seras sat down next to Vlad as Sebastian spoke.

"An acquaintance of yours? Is that all? I thought we were friends." Vlad chuckled and grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the table, drinking from it. Sebastian was attractive, Seras noticed. He was blonde, his hair little past his ears, and wavy. He ran a pale hand through it as he turned back to Seras. His eyes were red, like Vlad's, but a lighter shade, almost magenta-like. He smiled warmly at her, highlighting his gorgeous bone structure. "Seras, is it?"

"Yes, sir." Sebastian cocked his head slightly at her before shaking it slowly.

"Oh, no, just call me Sebastian." He pointed at her, moving the finger over her form. "What happened to you? Vlad didn't beat you did he?" The man chuckled and Seras saw Vlad narrow his eyes at the man.

"I was running from my village, and ended up getting shot with an arrow, rolling down some extremely uncomfortable steep terrain, falling off of some sort of ledge, and hitting my head on a large rock. I fell unconscious after the hit, and woke up here. Everybody has been so kind." She shrugged her good shoulder. Sebastian hummed and nodded.

"Shouldn't you be resting then?"

"I can't seem to sleep, so I thought Vlad could keep me some company." The blond man mouthed 'oh' and smiled at Vlad.

"Should I leave then, Vlad?" As she looked between the two men, she noticed that Sebastian wasn't as old as Vlad. Sebastian looked as though he was in his twenties, while Vlad looked at least in his thirties.

Vlad took a drink from the large bottle in his hand before replying. "Mm, if you want to. We can speak more about your situation tomorrow." The way the man spoke made Seras think that he was telling the man to leave, even though he hadn't said such.

Sebastian nodded, standing. He walked to the door before turning and smiling at Seras. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night." Seras smiled back.

"Good night!" After the man left, Seras turned to Vlad and tapped him on the knee. He turned to her as well. "What are you drinking?" He smiled.

"Nothing you would like." She cocked her head.

"Are you sure?" He nodded and put the bottle back on the table.

"Absolutely." Seras stood up and looked around, walking over to the window. She leaned over the table like she had when she first woke up.

"How do you know Sebastian?" She heard him walk over to her. He leaned against the wall.

"I suppose our paths just crossed at some point. He's entertaining to have around, and I've found he's much more knowledgeable than he seems." Seras nodded and looked to him.

"He's very attractive." She saw his eye twitch a bit before he looked away and clucked his tongue.

"Is he?" _I think I struck a nerve. Let's try and make things better, shall we?_ Seras turned back to the window.

"He is, but I'm not much of a fan of blondes." She saw him look to her from the corner of her eye. "I much prefer dark hair. You're more my type than him, anyway."

"Hm." She saw a slight smile on his face before she turned to him.

"Where are you from?" He looked to her, brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you have an accent. And your eyes… I've never seen eyes like yours. Sebastian's were like yours too. I've never met anybody with red eyes." He stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowed slightly before sighing.

"I'm from Romania." _That explains why he was speaking Romanian. But what about-_

"Is Wren from there as well?" He nodded. "But isn't that an English name?"

"His birth name was Ovidiu. When we came here, he found that he was fond of the names Wren and Wagner. So he took them."

"How long have you been here? In this country?"

"A decade or so." She hummed as she ran her finger along the cool wood of the desk.

"What of your family? Where are they?"

"I haven't any."

"None? Not even a wife, or children?" He looked to her, cocking his head and furrowing his brow.

"No. I haven't a wife, nor children. How about you?" She laughed.

"Oh, I'd hope I haven't any children running around. And as far as I know, I haven't ever had a wife." Vlad chuckled, his voice flowing smoothly throughout the room. "But what about your eyes? Wren's eyes weren't that color, so it isn't because you're Romanian. And Sebastian's eyes were red as well. Maya's eyes seemed red, too. Are you demons or something?" She smiled widely at him and he returned the gesture.

"Oh, yes. I'm Satan himself. Pleasure to meet you." She took a few steps closer to him, leaning in close. Even on the tips of her toes, she didn't reach his face, so she looked up.

"Really, there's something different about you." She gasped jokingly. "Oh, I've got it! You're a vampire! A blood-sucking creature of the night, right? That's why your eyes are that color." She chuckled and he stared at her, a slight smirk on his face.

"That is quite the astute observation, draga mea." Her eyes widened slightly and she backed up.

"You're joking, right?" He arched an eyebrow and his smirk widened.

"Not at all." She stared at him for several seconds before speaking.

"Oh. That's all well and good, but I'm not quite sure I believe you."

"Oh?" He grinned now, taking a step forward. She nodded.

"Mhm. You'll have to prove it to me somehow." He laughed, throwing his head back.

"You meet a vampire and you want him to _prove_ his power to you?" She nodded. "If I drank your blood, would that be proof enough?" She shook her head.

"Oh, anybody could just bite me and drink my blood. Mosquitos do that. If you're a real vampire, aren't you supposed to have demonic powers or something?" He nodded, chuckling.

"I suppose." She tapped his chest with her hand.

"Then show me." He hummed for a moment, before nodding.

Suddenly, the room went black as all the candles were blown out by some strong gust of wind. "What was that?" She turned around, trying to look about, when she was pushed roughly against the wall behind her. She grunted in pain as her aching body hit the rough surface. Before she could blink, the room was lit once more. She found Vlad was holding her to the wall, grinning. He lifted a hand from her injured shoulder, tapping her nose gently before his gaze traveled to her shoulder.

"Look at that. You're bleeding." He took his finger from her face back down to her shoulder, swiping it gently across her bandaged wound. He brought it back up to her face to show the blood dropping down his finger. He licked his lips. "You know, I really had to control myself while I was tending to your injuries." Seras' heart was beating fast, and her breathing shallow.

"Is that so?" She was looking into his eyes as they narrowed.

"Mm. It smelled so… Intoxicating. Sweet. Certainly you don't mind if I just…" He brought his finger to his lips and licked the long trail of crimson from his pale flesh. His eyes closed and his face took on a mask of euphoria for a moment, before he opened his eyes again. "Thank you." He grinned at her as he let her go. He took a step back and arched his eyebrow. Seras held onto the wall, afraid she would collapse if she didn't. She blinked slowly.

"So… you weren't joking." He shook his head. "But you're not going to kill me."

"Oh, no, I like to play with my food." She chuckled softly.

"You know, I don't think I've ever met a man as intriguing as you." His grin fell and his face became a mask of confusion.

"I beg your pardon?" She simply shook her head and walked towards him.

"I should probably be afraid of you, but I'm not. I don't think I've ever been afraid, and I don't think I'll start just because some handsome man might end up drinking my blood." His eyebrows raised high.

"So my being a monster _intrigues you?_ You're obviously insane, girl." Seras nodded.

"Perhaps. But since when has a monster been able to say who and who isn't sane? That seems to be a bit out of your expertise." Vlad was quiet a moment before cackling.

"I suppose you're right!" Seras walked to the bed and sat.

"So what of Maya and Sebastian? I presume they're vampires as well?"

"Yes, my servant, while she is of the undead, she is certainly not the most purest of Nosferatu. Sebastian is of purer blood, and is therefore of a different variety than her. Neither are equal to me though." She watched as he came closer to her.

"Is that so? How is that?"

"They were bitten. I was not." She cocked her head.

"So, you just became a vampire? Is that it?" He nodded.

"Essentially."

"Intriguing." He smiled at her and sat next to her.

"And what of you, Seras Victoria? Who are you? _What_ are you?" She thought for a moment.

"I'm alone. According to my village, I'm a witch. But I'm almost positive that if I _were_ a witch, I'd conjure up a bit more wealth than I currently have, now wouldn't I?" Vlad chuckled. "I'd probably be living like you, Vlad!"

"Oh?" She turned to him.

"Definitely. An enormous castle, servants to clean everything, beautiful furniture." He was smiling at her and she continued. "How did you ever come across such wealth anyway? Don't tell me all vampires just amass wealth and luxurious castles."

"That, draga mea, is my secret. Now, how about you tell me why exactly your village thought you for a witch and so rudely chased you away?" Seras sighed and laid back on the bed.

"It's a rather long story."

"If there's one thing I've got, it's time."

"Well, I suppose it started when I was a young girl. As you know, I'm an orphan. My family, my mother and father, were murdered when I was very young. After they died, I was sent to one of the orphanages in the village. Soon after I arrived, many tragic things happened. A fire started, killing several children, a young girl killed herself, food and supplies ran low. They blamed it on me, and I was thrown out. Rumors started circulating that I was cursed, and soon, that I was a witch. As I grew, I lived on my own, sleeping where I could, eating the food I could find. I befriended animals quickly and easily. I helped them, they helped me, and the villagers noticed. They said I could command the animals to do my bidding, or something ridiculous like that.

I befriended passing merchants, who would help me by giving me food and drink. Sometimes, they gave me more valuable things, such as clothing, books, shoes. I taught myself to read, write. I had to do such things in seclusion, for if the villagers caught me, I'd be flogged and beaten. That didn't matter to me though. I enjoyed reading, learning. I didn't even mind being homeless. Nature is beautiful, and being in it made me feel safe.

Occasionally, some people would give me shelter for a night or two, but more often, I had to sleep in barns and vacant lots. I remember, men would always try and buy me, as if I were some sort of whore. Sometimes, they would try and force themselves on me, but I could run much faster than them and kick much harder than they thought. I would never allow myself to be taken advantage of, especially by such filthy, disgusting men. Before I learned how to get away from such things, I remember I used to scream, call for help as loudly as I could. People would pass by, looking at the man on top of me as I cried and screamed. I remember thinking, 'Why won't they help me? I haven't done anything wrong'. I was so stupid.

Of course nobody would help me, a poor, homeless heretic. I didn't need anybody to help me, though. I'm strong, I learned how to defend myself. I used to be afraid, but not anymore. I haven't been afraid in years. I wasn't even afraid when I was being chased, threatened with death and torture. I just knew I had to escape, if I wanted to live.

All right, so, the village tolerated me. They didn't _all_ want to kill me until recently. A few weeks ago, people were finding animals torn and ripped open, killed and dying. The killing continued for several days, and people came said they had witnessed a wolf stalking through the grounds. The men decided to hunt it.

For several nights, the men took to the woods, searching for the wolf. One night, I was asleep in a vacant barn when I heard footsteps and the sound of water being lapped up. I opened my eyes and left the spot I was sleeping in. I saw a large, black wolf drinking from one of the full water barrels in the barn. I approached him slowly, and called out to him, saying something like 'Oh, hello, Mr. Wolfe.' He turned, growling. I dropped down to my knees slowly, and pulled out one of the loaves of bread in my pocket. I pulled off a piece and held it out to him. He paused slightly and stopped growling as he came close to me.

He sniffed at the bread, oh it was so adorable, and he took it gently. I couldn't help but smile at him. He wasn't violent, just hungry and confused. I moved out slowly and pat him on the head, scratching behind his ears. He licked my palm. We became friends, sleeping together, finding food and shelter together. I protected him and he protected me. He would still eat animals though, so the men were still hunting him.

One night, I was awoken by growling and barking by my head. The men had found us. The wolf was standing in front of them, growling and afraid. I stood and confronted the men, telling the wolf to get behind me. They saw that the wolf listened to me and threatened me. They said I was commanding the wolf to kill the animals. I tried telling them that he was just scared and lost and hungry, and that he was friendly, but they didn't listen. One of them grabbed me, putting a dagger to my throat.

The wolf attacked the man, setting me free. He ripped out the man's throat, leaving him choking and bleeding in the hay. The other men came towards us and I grabbed the dagger that the dying one held against me. I stabbed a man in the stomach until he fell to the ground as well. The wolf slashed and clawed at the other man. I called out to the wolf, telling him to run away with me.

I heard the remaining man calling out to others, getting help as the wolf and I dashed throughout the village. We made our way into the woods, hiding amongst a patch of tall grass. I held the wolf close to me, trying to calm him down. He was so afraid, and we sat there, him in my arms for a long while. Soon, we heard the sound of men yelling for us, the flames of torches coming closer to us. I whispered to him, telling him how much I loved him. He licked my face and I kissed his nose. I told him to run, to never come back. He didn't go until I kissed him again. He ran away, into the darkness.

The men found me, only a few moments after the wolf ran. They grabbed me by my arms, yelling and beating me, asking about the wolf. I only told them that he got away. They dragged me back through the woods and into the village. I was forced into a holding room, locked in there. I could hear a man yelling to the villagers, saying I was a witch, that I had ordered the wolf to kill animals and men, that I myself had killed a man. That I had planned on killing the whole village, damning them to hell. That all the tragic events, deaths, fires, sickness, droughts, were my fault. I tried screaming to them, telling them they were wrong. They took my words and said that I was trying to trick them, a demon trying to deceive a village under the ruse of a young girl.

The man spoke of how I didn't belong to the church, how I stole food and slept where I wasn't permitted to. They called me a murderer, a devil, a witch that needed to be burned. The man riled up the villagers, and I could hear their shouts and calls as they shouted violent vulgarities at me. I stayed there until the next night, when a man came into the holding room. It was the man the wolf clawed, the marks deep and healing on his cheek. I was sat on the ground, head on my knees and looked up. The man told me that I was going to be tortured, questioned, and then burned at the stake. He leaned down to me, running his hand across my cheek. He then told me that he was going to rape me, that I was a whore who needed to be fucked.

I kicked against him, punched and slapped, but he grabbed my wrists in his hand, pushing me to the ground. He pushed my legs open and I kicked at him, hitting him in the gut. He slapped me across the face, hard. I looked at him as he pushed my dress up and started to undo his trousers. He stopped though, and let go of my arms and looking at me for a moment. He smiled and kissed me on the mouth, roughly. It was disgusting, and he forced his tongue into my mouth. I kept still, trying to think of a way out of the situation. He leaned back up, and I noticed a large knife on his belt. As he went to take his trousers off, I leaned up quickly. I grabbed it and stabbed into him, right in the groin. He screamed, and I brought the blade up, slicing through his flesh. I cut him, right up to his throat, blood and guts falling from him. I pushed his body from mine, and I continued to stab him. I stabbed into his face, the blade cutting through his skull. I don't know why, but I did. I suppose I was just angry. I stopped, exhausted, and stood. I dropped the blade, and walked over to the door to find that he had left it unlocked when he entered.

I escaped and hid nearby for several hours, until I head the calls. Somebody had found the bastard's body, and that I was gone. They called to the village, telling them to arm themselves. That they were going to hunt the witch. They acted as though what I did, everything I ever did, was wrong. Was the wrong thing. I never did anything that I didn't think was necessary. But that didn't matter. I was a killer and a witch to them, an evil demon that needed to be purged and eradicated.

A man found me, and alerted the other villagers. I ran, and I ran through the village, coming to the forest. I ran as fast as I could, hearing people yell and scream and chase me. I heard horses and saw arrows flying past me. Women, men, even children were after me. People who had once helped me, once shown me generosity, were now hunting me, wanted my head. I ran hard, pushing through the pain rising in my body as the minutes passed. I never stopped running and I knew that all I had to do was get out of the forest, pass the threshold.

The villagers believed that past the forest, the land was cursed, was evil. I knew they wouldn't dare follow me there. And I made it, but not before I was shot by an arrow. It didn't stop me, though. I fell for a moment, no more than a second, before I started running again. Then I fell, and now I'm here. Alive, thanks to you and your servants." Seras felt emotion rising in her chest, wanting to cry. She sighed deeply. "I hope the wolf is as lucky as me."

* * *

Vlad hadn't made a sound during her story, so she sat back up, looking to him. His crimson eyes were soft as he looked to her. She spoke to him. "Are you alright?" He nodded.

"You're strong. You never gave up, you fought for your life. I admire that." She paused for a moment before smiling.

"Thank you. You don't think that I'm bad, do you? For killing those people?" He laughed and placed a hand on her good shoulder.

"Seras, I've killed more people than you could ever imagine, for much less than you did. You were threatened. If you didn't fight back, you would have died. Fighting back is courageous. It shows strength. You deserve life, and you've earned it." He leaned in closer to her. "So no, you're not bad." She nodded. They were both silent a moment before he spoke again. "If anybody here is intriguing, it's you, Seras Victoria." She blinked for a moment, looking and seeing a slight smile on his face.

"I'd like to know more about you, Vlad." His eyes widened slightly and he sighed.

"You'll have to wait for another time, my dear."

"Oh?" She pouted at him, noticing his face shift slightly. "What a shame. I'd at least like to know _something_ about the kind man who saved me." Vlad laughed.

"Now I know you're not referring to me."

"Why? You're kind. You've never given me any reason to believe otherwise." He scoffed.

"I'll have to change that then, won't I?" His tone was playful, making her smile.

"For a vampire, you're not very scary." He arched an eyebrow.

"That's disappointing. Many people would disagree with you." She smirked.

"Well, intimidating perhaps. But I think I like that about you." He cleared his throat as she ran her finger lazily along his hand. _I must be getting sleepy. I hope he doesn't think I'm being forward. I'm not trying to be._ She looked at his hands, noticing the numerous scars. She ran her finger over the scars. "You said you've been in a war? Is that how you got these scars?" She looked into his eyes to see that he was staring at his hand as well.

"Not all of them, no." She nodded, admiring his features. _Best to not push._

"So what were you out doing today?"

"Hm?"

"Maya said you were out collecting some debt. What was it?" He hummed for a moment before answering.

"A man asked me for a favor a while ago, and hadn't owned up to his side of the deal. I simply went to collect what was owed to me."

"Did you get it?"

"Not yet, no. I've given him three more days to repay me."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He dies." Her finger stopped brushing his hand and he looked into her eyes. "What?"

"Isn't that a bit cruel?" He grinned and moved his hand away from hers.

"I'm a cruel man." For some reason, his statement made her smile. "Have I said something amusing to you?" She shook her head.

"No. I just think that if you were as cruel as you said you were, you would have killed me and drank my blood already." His grin widened as he leaned in, pushing his face into the crook of her neck. She could feel his warm breath on her flesh and goosebumps crawled over her body. She thought she could feel his mouth brush against her, but she wasn't sure. _Oh god. What's he doing?_

"I've told you. I like to play with my food." At that, she felt his tongue dart out and lick the length of her neck and he chuckled. He leaned back up. "Now that you know what I am, I suppose I'll give you a few days before I eat you." Seras smirked.

"How generous of you." He nodded, grin ever present. He stretched his back, and Seras heard popping come from it. He rolled his head on his shoulders and Seras scooted closer to him. _Why do I feel so safe around him? He's a monster, who has repeatedly threatened my life. No, he wasn't being serious. He was only teasing. But still, he_ _ **is**_ _a monster. So why do I feel so secure?_ "Are you tired?" He looked at her for a second before returning his gaze in front of him.

"Yes. I haven't slept more than an hour in the past few days." She scooted back, crawling into the bed. With the blankets on her body, she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's go to sleep then." He turned around, facing her, and arched an eyebrow.

"You're in my bed."

" _Yes._ " Now, he furrowed his brow, cocking his head.

"Surely you don't mean for me to sleep with you in my bed?" She smiled.

"That, Vlad, is exactly what I mean. I like your bed much better than the one in my room. And I figure you can keep me warm." He stared at her for a moment before his face softened and he smiled. He nodded.

"As you wish, Seras Victoria."

He moved to the opposite side of the bed and sat on the edge to take off his boots. She laid down, placing her head on a pillow. She turned and laid on her side, taking care to not put pressure on her bad shoulder. She felt him get under the blankets and move close to her. Her eyes were fluttering closed and the candles started to blow out. She sighed contently but opened her eyes wide as she felt arms wrap around her and her body being cradled.

"What are you doing?" she asked. A deep voice replied silkily from behind her head.

"I'm getting comfortable." For emphasis, he pushed himself closer against her, his body meeting hers.

"Don't you think that's a bit rude? I am a lady." _He's very nice to lay against though._

"Well, according to an entire village, you're a witch." He must have felt her body tense because he allowed his hand to rub the spot on her waist where it was placed. She felt her skin tingle at the sensation and let her head fall back, slightly bumping into his.

"Good night, Vlad."

"Good day, Seras."


	3. Moving Fast

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ I'm having a lot of fun writing this fic. I hope you're having fun reading! Also, in case you couldn't tell, every chapter will end with Seras falling asleep. It just feels… right, you know?

 _*** I don't own Hellsing, but I'd like to think I own this universe. What is this universe? Fuck, dude, I don't know. All I know is that I own it. Fight me m8 ***_

* * *

Seras pushed into the body next to her, fully aware of who it was. _I think I may fancy him. He's genuinely kind and sweet to me._ She yawned and held onto an arm draped around her. She felt the thick muscles beneath and ran her hands up and down it. She heard the master of the manor hum at her touch, his face nuzzling into her hair.

She began to fall asleep again when she heard the door to his room open. She didn't open her eyes, instead preferring an attempt at sleeping. A voice called out and she felt Vlad stiffen behind her.

"Master? What are you doing? I thought you said you wouldn't…" Seras' eyes fluttered open and she saw Wren standing with his face a mask of worried concern. Vlad sat up, removing his arms from her body.

"Wren," his voice was stern and warning. She moved and watched as he got up from bed and grabbed the boy by his arm. He dragged him to the door, yelling the entire time. "How many fucking times have I told you to knock before entering my room? Are you an idiot? Do I need to beat you, boy?" He continued to yell at the boy in Romanian and Seras flinched with every snarl sent by the vampire. He exited the room, yells filling the halls. She sat up in the bed, tossing covers away. Eventually, Vlad came back into the room, visibly agitated.

She looked at him as he cursed under his breath, finally turning and looking at Seras. He sighed and brushed his thick hair from his face. "He knows not to enter my room without permission."

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to tell me something irrelevant about Sebastian. As if I give a damn."

"Oh. Well, why did he act so strange when he saw me?"

"I told him I wouldn't hurt you, so he assumed I was taking advantage of you. Idiot boy." Seras laughed, getting his attention.

"Wren thought you were _forcing me_? To sleep next to you? Ooh, how scandalous." He smiled and his face softened. Seras stood and walked dramatically. "The lord of the castle caught sleeping with the wench of the woods!" He laughed and sat on a settee, laying down and crossing his legs.

"It will be the rumor of the century! Wren certainly seemed shocked."

"I think that may have been because you were yelling at him." Vlad chuckled and popped his neck, turning it side to side. Seras admired his muscles as he moved. She went and sat on his legs, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Am I too heavy?"

"No. I should mention that you also look healthier today. Your cuts and bruises seem to be healing nicely. How about that wound though, I wonder?" He pointed at her shoulder and she shrugged. She looked to the clock to see that it was late in the afternoon.

"It's 2 in the afternoon."

"I know. It's early." She cocked her head and furrowed her brow at him.

"This is early to you?"

"Mm. I don't really have a sleeping schedule, but I typically sleep during the day when I can."

"I would have thought that vampires don't need to sleep."

"I can go several days without sleep, not that I've needed to do such recently."

"Intriguing." He clucked his tongue, chuckling.

"Would you like to stop saying that?" She smiled.

"No." She looked down at herself and decided it was time to change into something decent. She rose from his legs and he looked at her confused. "I'm going to go change." He looked her over once before nodding.

Seras opened the door and crept along the hall to her room, taking long, bounding steps. She looked around carefully, to ensure that nobody saw her. She made it into her room without anybody seeing her, and she sighed a breath of relief. "Funny how all of a sudden I'm worried about somebody seeing me in my nightclothes, even though I just let a vampire cuddle me as I slept. Perhaps I'm the odd one." She sighed once more and walked further in the room to find that a pile of clothes sat on her bed. As she picked them up, she realized that they were her own, original clothes. Even her bodice had been cleaned. Her dress had been repaired and tailored, as pristine and white as ever.

She happily pulled on her clothing, dressing quickly. She found a hand-mirror and looked at herself through it. She did look better, her skin less sickly and the dark circles beneath her eyes disappearing. She even looked a bit thicker, healthier. She smiled and tousled her hair. Setting the mirror down, she slid on her shoes and made her way back into the hall.

As she walked back to Vlad's room, a noise somewhere behind her caught her attention. She turned and looked down the long, curved hallway. Something moved, though she couldn't tell what. She walked further down the hallway, searching for the source of the noise. _That sounds like a…_ There was a muffled scream and Seras started running towards the source. _Is somebody in trouble? I have to help!_

The screaming continued, getting louder with each one of Seras' bounding leaps. It finally stopped, followed by a heavy thump to the floor. Seras rounded a corner to find a tall, blond man standing over what appeared to be a dead body. She stopped, several feet from the scene. Her mouth dropped, eyes wide as she felt her heart beat slow and hard. She finally spoke, getting the man's attention. "What on earth…?" _Is she alright? Is she dead?!_

The man turned around and Seras recognized the man as Sebastian. He smiled awkwardly, teeth stained slightly red. He wiped his mouth before speaking. "Oh, hello! Seras, right?" She nodded slowly. "Well, I just… It appears that… Uh…" He cleared his throat as he shuffled. Seras remembered that Vlad said Sebastian was also a vampire.

"Did… Did you kill her?" His eyes widened and he shook his head quickly.

"No! Of course not! I'm no murderer!"

"You _are_ a vampire though, correct?" He blinked for a moment, eyebrows rising. His face became a blank slate until he sucked his teeth and walked over to her.

"What do you know about that?" She looked up into his scarlet eyes.

"Vlad told me." He cocked his head.

"Vlad? _Vlad_ told you? You're joking right?"

"No, I asked if he was a vampire and he told me he was. He also said you were." Sebastian's eye twitched. "Are you alright?" He shook his head and walked past her quickly, shouting.

" **VLAD! WOULD YOU MIND EXPLAINING SOMETHING TO ME?"** He disappeared around the hall and Seras followed. Eventually, she heard a hard banging on a door and rounded a corner to see the blond vampire outside Vlad's room.

Vlad opened the door, taken aback by Sebastian's anger. "Would you stop yelling, Sebastian? You're being outrageous." The blonde laughed.

"Me? I'm being outrageous? You told that peasant girl that you're a vampire!"

"Well, to be fair, she guessed it." Vlad was grinning and looked to Seras as she walked up to them slowly.

"You told her _about me._ "

"So?" Seras cleared her throat and spoke, interrupting the men.

"You left that girl's body back there." Vlad's eyes widened before narrowing toward Sebastian.

"You fed from one of my maids? Were you planning on telling me, or were you just going to toss the corpse from a window?!" His voice was warning, though he wasn't yelling.

"I, uh, I didn't think you would mind."

"You didn't think I would mind? You didn't think I would mind you eating my servants?" Seras fought back a laugh at the man's nervous stature.

"Well, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound quite favorable." Vlad sighed and rubbed his dark eyes.

"Sebastian, go and take care of it. **Now.** "

"But what about her?" He pointed to Seras and glared. She smiled and waved.

"What about her?"

"She knows things one shouldn't; if they would like to live."

"Are you threatening her?" Vlad's voice was a threat in itself, _as if he's implying that threatening me would be a mistake. He certainly doesn't care about me… does he?_ Sebastian was silent for a moment before replying.

"If I was?" Vlad took a step towards the man, grabbing him by his collar and leaning in close to his face. He bared his teeth as he spoke.

" _If you were, Sebastian, I will have you executed for treason against the King._ _I will tie you up with silver chains and leave you to burn in the sun. Surely, you understand how painful a death that would be."_ Sebastian looked away and Vlad came in close to his neck. "Now, tell me. Were you threatening my guest?"

"No, your majesty," the man grumbled and Vlad dropped his hold and smiled.

"Good! Now, if you go and take care of any mess you made, I won't bother you about taking one of my servants. I suppose I can find…" He looked to Seras as she stood against a wall. She met his gaze and shook her head.

"Not me." Vlad cocked his head, grinning.

"You did say you wanted to repay me, did you not?" _I will not be a maid._ She sighed and nodded. "Good. You can repay my kindness in saving your life and giving you sanctuary by replacing my lost maid!" Sebastian looked between the two before chuckling and walking back down the hall. He stopped right in front of Seras.

"I'm sure you'll have fun." Seras glared at him and he laughed cheerily, walking away. _Makes you wonder doesn't it? If there are any normal people here._ She returned her gaze to Vlad, leaning against the door frame.

"I promise not to order you to do anything too… out of your abilities. With your injuries, you will most likely just follow Maya around." She stared at him. _No._ He smiled at her. _No._ He cocked his head. _**No.**_ "Please?" He allowed the word to flow out smoothly, like soft silk running through the air. _Damn._ She sighed and walked up to him.

"Fine." He smiled wide. "But I'm not calling you 'Master'."

"Yes you are."

"No, sir."

"Oh, yes." She laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, no. I'm calling you Vlad."

"Master." She smirked, arms crossed as she looked up to him.

" _Vlad._ Vlad, Vlad, Vlad, Vlad!" He nodded, still grinning.

"Master Vlad, then."

"What? No!" He sighed.

"Oh, fine. But you will obey my orders, just like my other servants." Seras looked down at her clothing.

"Will I have to wear what they do as well?"

"No, this will be just fine."

"How long will you have me work for you?" He pondered the thought for a moment, booted foot tapping at the ground.

"Until I say otherwise." Seras laughed.

"So until I die?"

"Well, I suppose that's one way to put it." He grinned and she couldn't help smiling as well. "I enjoy your presence, your company. Do you blame me? I find it refreshing to spend time with and individual who doesn't fear me." Seras searched the bloody waters of his eyes to find that he appeared to be genuine. She smiled gently, putting her hand on one of his.

"Didn't I already tell you? You haven't given me any reason to fear you. You saved my life. I would be dead if not for you. I don't fathom I could ever fear you." He stared into her eyes. _It's true. Hell, I wasn't even afraid when I saw Sebastian over that poor girl._ "Do you believe me?"

"No." She chuckled.

"Well, if I'm to be indebted to you until my death, I better make sure that you believe me eventually." She tried to search his face for any sign of emotion, but found none. Sighing, she decided to change the subject. "You know, I was wondering if perhaps… I could stay in your room?" An eyebrow arched.

"Certainly you don't mean that you would like to share my bedroom, do you?"

"Well, I suppose that's exactly what I mean." His eyes widened slightly. "I liked sleeping with you last night. I felt… safe. Secure. I felt like… I felt safe. I haven't felt safe in a long time. I understand if you don't-"

"Yes." She blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes, my room is now _our_ room." Seras blushed.

"Oh, well, thank you." He shook his head.

"It's no issue." Seras was about to speak again when her stomach growled. Vlad smiled. "You're hungry?"

"I hadn't noticed, but I suppose I am," she chuckled.

"I'm sure we can find you something to eat."

"As long as it's not a maid." _Oh lord, I hope that wasn't in bad taste._ Vlad laughed and turned to her as they walked to the kitchen.

"Sebastian is spoiled. He believes he's entitled to everything and everybody. One of these days, I swear he's going to do something completely idiotic and have to face the consequences. But, for now, one maid isn't too big of an issue."

"Except to the one that lost their life." Vlad shrugged.

"I suppose that's true. Who knows? Perhaps she prefers death to a life of unending servitude."

"Why did he call you 'your majesty'? What was that about?"

"Did he?" Seras narrowed her eyes.

"That was a horrible attempt at avoiding my question. You also said he would be executed for treason against the 'King'? Who's the king and what does Sebastian threatening me have to do with him?"

"I can't recall having said that." _Is he lying or teasing? Surely he remembers._

"You can tell me. I won't tell anybody else – I don't know anybody _to_ tell." He chuckled, still walking. The large doors to the dining hall came into view and Seras followed him closer to them.

"Seras, I'm afraid I can't help you." She sighed and walked through the door that Vlad held open for her. He came in after her and allowed the heavy door to slam shut, making Seras jump. He noticed and turned to her. "Oh, did that frighten you? A door frightens the brave Seras, but blood-thirsty monsters don't? You're ridiculous." He spoke to her through a grin.

"Loud noises aren't my strong-suit." He arched an eyebrow, still smiling. "And besides, maybe I'm secretly a monster hunter, getting ready to kill you." He laughed deeply.

"Oh yes, I can believe that. Just look at the cruelty in your eyes! Pure evil." He leaned down and tapped her lightly on the nose. He turned and walked to a door on the left. "I have full faith in your ability to slay me." Seras followed him and found the room to be a large kitchen. There wasn't much food in the kitchen from what she saw, but she saw a bowl of fruit sitting atop a solid looking counter. She immediately walked to it, ignoring the vampire behind her.

She picked up an apple from the bowl and bit into the sweet fruit, juice filling her mouth and senses. She turned to see Vlad pressing a sharp looking knife into his arm. Her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her apple. "What are you doing?!" She walked over to him and took the knife from his hand. "You're going to hurt yourself!" Vlad looked at her incredulously before smiling.

"Seras…"

"No, what were you thinking?"

"Seras, I –" She slammed the knife down.

"Are you insane?" At her words, he began laughing, making Seras even more flustered. "Stop laughing!"

"Seras, I'm… How do I say this?" He calmed down and spoke. "Oh, that's right. A vampire. A knife won't hurt me, you silly girl." _Oh. That's… I remember now. Right._

"It won't?" He shook his head, still smiling. "Well then why would you even play with it? You're a foolish vampire if there ever was one."

"Such bold words from a wealth-less maid." She gasped and brought the knife up, stabbing him right through the hand. His eyes went to his hand as it bled, large knife stuck in it. "Well would you look at that. It appears you've stabbed me." Seras let go of the knife, bringing her hand to her chest to cradle her apple. _Oh no. I hope he isn't upset at me. Can't back down now, though. Stay strong._

"Bloody bastard. You deserved that." He looked back to her, knife sill in hand. After a moment of looking into her eyes, he began to laugh. _He really is insane._ He pulled the knife from his hand and set it down on the counter. Seras watched as the wound on his hand healed, skin stitching together. _How odd. I wish I could do that._

"I suppose you're right! Well, Seras, I apologize. Do you accept?" _Make him wait for it. Wait for it. Make him think he's gone too far._

"I don't know." She turned her head away from Vlad, nose up in the air. He hummed and walked over to her. She felt something under her chin as her face was brought up to look into his.

"Seras Victoria, would you be so forgiving as to accept my apology?" _There is no way that I fancy a man that I know nothing about. No bloody way._ She looked to his lips to see that _they look so soft. I wonder if he kisses well. What a perverted thought. Surely he'd never want to kiss me. He's just a friendly person._ Looking back into his dark eyes, she felt her resolve breaking. She sighed.

"Fine." He dropped his finger from her chin and smiled.

"Good. It would be nice if you refrained from stabbing me again." She laughed.

"I'll try."

* * *

Seras stayed in the kitchen with Vlad, eating apples. They spoke of nothing important. They teased each other, Seras even going so far as playing with his thick hair and teasing him about his mustache. He teased her about her inelegant accent and short hair. Seras truly enjoyed his company, much more than she'd ever enjoyed another's company in her life. _I just don't understand why people say he's intimidating. Even his laugh is sweet to the ears._

Seras was pressed up against his firm chest, reaching her short arms up in an attempt to reach the apple he held above his head. He laughed each time she jumped to try to reach it. "Just give me the apple!"

"If you can reach it, you can keep it!" Both of their laughs filled the kitchen and Seras jumped again, her fingernails sliding against the apple.

"Ha! I touched it!"

"That means nothing." She stopped jumping and looked into his eyes.

"You said if I could reach it, it's mine." He brought his free hand in front of her face and wiggled a finger.

"Oh no, you misunderstood. I meant that if you can grab it, you can keep it." Her mouth fell open.

"You cheat." He chuckled.

"Here, I'll lower it." He did, about a centimeter. She narrowed her eyes and pressed herself against his chest harder, this time standing atop his boots. Laughing, he brought an arm around her and she felt a fluttering in her stomach. He tightened his hold on her as he dipped her down, resulting in a squeal from Seras. He chuckled lightly as he brought the apple in close to her face. "Go on, take a bite."

Her face was close to his, with only the apple blocking his lips from her own. She could smell the sweetness of the fruit and brought her mouth up to it. Her lips rubbed against the smoothness of the apple and she wished for a fleeting moment that it was his mouth. She was about to bite into it when a voice called out behind her. She leaned her head back to see that it was Maya. She looked back to see that Vlad hadn't looked away. She smiled shyly and took a bite of the fruit held in front of her. She felt a little self-conscious as she felt his eyes on her mouth. She swallowed and he pulled her back up, pushing hair from her face.

Vlad handed her the apple and turned to Maya. "Did you say something?" She narrowed her eyes at him and Seras bit her apple once more, now standing at his side.

"I asked why you two are in my kitchen."

"Seras was hungry." The blonde girl nodded and held up her apple.

"I like apples," she spoke with her mouth full. Maya sighed and placed a hand on her hip.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't do… whatever it is you were doing in here again." She glared at her master and he cocked his head.

"Are you telling me what to do?"

"Of course not. But I don't think a kitchen is the best place for…" Seras interrupted the woman.

"We were only playing. Vlad is a cheater and wouldn't give me my apple." Maya looked confused for a moment before Seras turned to the tall man. "You cheated and you know it." The vampire smiled, teeth showing.

"I gave it to you, didn't I?" Seras giggled and bit the apple, leaning in towards him.

"Master, may I speak with you?" Maya's voice was insistent. Vlad looked back at his servant.

"I suppose."

"Alone?" He sighed after a moment of silence and nodded.

"Seras, why don't you wait outside?" Seras looked between the two vampires before nodding and walking back into the dining hall, leaving the two alone. When the door shut closed behind her, she immediately pressed her ear to it. She could hear slightly muffled voices, but was able to understand what was being said.

"What happened to 'I won't touch her'? Did you just throw that to the wind? What are you trying to do now? Eh? She's but 19, Master! And she must bloody well feel as if she owes you something. You're practically taking advantage of her." _What is she talking about?_

"What exactly do you believe I'm doing? We were playing, as she said."

"Master, you don't _play_ with anything unless you plan on eating it." _Well then maybe he really does want to eat me._ A deep laugh sounded through the door.

"She's… Interesting to me. I enjoy her company. Is it that odd?"

"For you? Yes."

"Then you should be glad! I certainly feel to be in a better mood. That should be good for you, no?"

"Master, please. I'm begging you. Don't hurt that poor girl. She's been through enough."

"I know exactly what she's lived through, Maya. You should mind your own business. Have you forgotten who is the Master and who is the servant?" His voice was warning but not cruel.

"No, I have not, _Master._ That is precisely why I have concerns." _Somebody scoffed. I'm betting it was Vlad._

"Rightly so, Maya. But I can handle my affairs, I needn't any assistance from you."

"You slept with her last night. And what's this I heard about you telling her-"

"Yes, yes, I told her I was a vampire. What of it? She was going to find out sometime while staying here. She didn't even seem phased by it, as if I told her about the weather. No, I believe she would act more affected if I did tell her about the weather. She has no fear of it. I haven't decided if I like that or not." _I think you like it, good sir._

"And does she know who the King is? Have you told her that?"

"Seras needn't concern herself with undead politics. She doesn't need to know of my position, just that I have authority over anybody who dare challenge it." _He makes it sound like he's… the… king. A king of vampires? How ridiculous. That's got to be a joke._ "And you should know, I've given her a position as a maid, since Sebastian got greedy. I don't actually want her doing anything, just let her follow you around or hold things for you… Something of the like."

"Master, you can't mean that. The girl is hanging together by a thread." _I'm more sturdy than they think._

"Which is exactly why I said that she shall not be required to do any actual work. I merely wanted to give her something to amuse herself with. Will this be a problem for you?"

"No, sir."

"Anything else you want?" There was a silence. "Good. Oh, you should know, Seras shall be sharing my room from now on, so if you require her assistance for anything, go there."

"Sharing your room!? That is incredibly improper! She is a young lady!"

"And I am an old monster. What is your point? She wanted to."

"That innocent little thing _wanted_ to stay in your room? Even knowing what you are?"

"Like I said; she did not seem phased by it."

"And you're completely fine with being so brazen?"

"Brazen?" Laughter made its way to Seras' ear and she smiled. "What is so brazen about that?"

"A man, sharing a bed with a woman? Especially so in this case? How is that not brazen? You couldn't be more obvious if you told her you wanted to sleep with her." _What?_

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you _not_ want her?"

"Maya, you're treading on thin ice now."

"Well if you're going to be so blatantly unashamed of your escapades, I believe I'm allowed a say."

"Watch yourself. Seras and I are nothing. And if we were? It would be none of your concern."

"Fine. Don't fraternize in my kitchen."

"I will _fraternize_ anywhere I please. This is _my_ castle, my home. Do not attempt to order me around, Maya." There were heavy footsteps coming towards the door and Seras quickly moved across the room, pretending to admire a vase.

Vlad came out of the kitchen and Seras looked to find he appeared to be slightly disgruntled. She smiled to him and he nodded, acknowledging her. She looked into the kitchen before the door shut to see Maya huff and walk away. Seras walked over to him, apple still in hand. "What was that about?" He looked to her.

"You should know. You were listening." She paled and he laughed. "What? I don't blame you. I would have eavesdropped if you were speaking of me." She smiled awkwardly, chuckling.

"I didn't… Oh, fine. I just wanted to know what you were speaking about. Why is she so concerned?"

"She probably expects me to take advantage of you, kill you." He leaned down to look into her eyes. "Just the things I plan on doing to you."

"Once again, you're not frightening me." He nodded and clucked his tongue.

"I will." Seras took a bit of her apple and pointed to his chest.

"I look forward to it." Seras wiped her mouth and a thought came to her mind. "Can we go outside?" He cocked his head. "I haven't been outside in several days. I'd love to see the grounds."

"You haven't yet, have you?" She shook her head. He stood for a moment before nodding his own. "Yes, we can go outside." Seras lit up, a smile filling her features. Vlad smiled back. _Smiles are contagious._

* * *

Seras followed him to the front door, admiring the elegant foyer. "This is amazing."

"My last castle was better." Seras laughed at his spoiled tone.

"Quite the modest man you are!" He turned and looked at her, grinning.

"You would have liked that one as well." She felt the subtle stinging of a blush on her cheeks and looked away quickly. He opened the doors, a pair of tall mahogany slabs, and ushered Seras forward.

Seras' eyes narrowed at the sudden light and she blinked the sensitivity away, walking down stone steps. Vlad followed and stood by her side. Seras took in the scene; in front of her was a finely paved trail, forking and one leading towards what appeared to be lush wood and the other stretched on far away. Trees, shrubbery, green plant life surrounded the trail as it stretched on. It was beautiful and Seras was in awe. "This is beautiful. I was under the impression that past the forbidden forest was nothing but barren landscape." She looked to him. "I love this." He smiled gently and motioned to the two trails.

"We can go to the woods, or we can go towards another village. I'm personally more fond of the woods, but it is up to you. I should mention that we also have a rather large garden on the back grounds."

"Truly?"

"Mm."

"We should go see it. After we go into the woods. I love woods, despite being chased through one." Vlad chuckled and nodded, walking on the trail. Seras followed, skipping up to him.

Walking deeper into the wood, Seras inhaled the fresh scent of the pine trees, enjoying the smooth breeze through her hair, kissing her tender flesh. She smiled against it, looking over to find Vlad looking to the darkening sky. It was still cloudy, a storm still brewing. "I adore weather like this."

"Most people take it as depressing."

"I don't. It makes me feel alive. I love running in the rain, the smell of the clouds and of the storm. The only times I didn't enjoy it was when I had to sleep in it."

"Was that often?" She hummed in reply.

"Mostly during the winter months. People were less likely to show me kindness. Wet hay isn't very comfortable, but I made do."

"You won't have to do that any longer." Seras saw a glittering stream to her left as she was looking around, and her eyes lit up. She started to walk towards it and found that a large rock was perched at its edges. She sat on it gently and pat next to her, calling out.

"Vlad! Come over here, it's so pretty." He stood on the trail for a moment, looking up at the sky before making his way through the grass and twigs. She scooted herself more to the side to make room for his wide body. He sat next to her and she took her shoes off, placing her small feet in the still water. There were small fish swimming to and fro, but she didn't mind. She watched as the stream flowed gently past her feet. As she looked out, several animals made their way through the forest. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, they all walked by, sometimes taking drinks from the stream.

Seras sighed at the sight, at the beautiful nature in front of her and looked to find Vlad looking to her. "This is beautiful. It's so green and pure and calm. Gorgeous." He hummed and nodded.

"It is."

"You're not even looking."

"Yes I am." Seras looked away, chuckling nervously. She kicked her feet in the water and listened to the rustle of leaves and the slowly running water of the crystal clear stream. Fully calm, she leaned her head on his arm. His arm was thick and hard, the muscle taut beneath his clothing. She nuzzled her head into his arm and heard him murmur something. She wasn't paying attention though, only listening to the smooth sounds of nature. He spoke once again and Seras payed attention. "If you want, you may lay on my lap." She moved her head and looked to him.

"Really?" He nodded. Seras smiled and adjusted herself, letting herself fall into his lap. She faced towards the wood. "You can put your hands on me. I've touched you plenty, it's only fair." He laughed.

"Don't let Maya hear you say something like that." She felt him playing with her hair and she smiled, a hand resting on his thigh. She sighed against his light touches. _This is so calming. Laying on the lap of a man who is not my husband; how unladylike. He doesn't seem to mind though. Perhaps when you're a vampire you stop caring about society. I suppose I don't care for such things, myself. But others would blame that on my upbringing. I don't think I've ever quite cared about doing what's 'good' or 'correct'. Perhaps that's what's wrong with me. Perhaps if I cared more, tried harder, I…_

"There is nothing wrong with you." She moved her head to look at Vlad.

"I'm sorry?" He looked down to her.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Don't think such thoughts. That is absolutely preposterous." She furrowed her brow.

"Did… Did I say that out loud?"

"No, but thinking it is just as pathetic."

"You read my mind?" He nodded.

"How often do you do that to me?"

"Only when you're abnormally silent. When your mouth is shut, it's quite the anomaly. It often means that you're over-thinking." She smiled and chuckled.

"I've been conscious for what, a day? Two?"

"It's a common human trait."

"Please don't invade my personal thoughts." He smiled, cocking his head gently.

"I can't promise a thing." Seras looked back to the nature scene and noticed that it was becoming increasingly dark.

"Should we go back? It's getting dark. I really wanted to see the garden though... I suppose that can wait." Vlad sighed.

"Yes, I suppose so." She raised from his lap and slid her shoes back on. Standing, she turned to see Vlad looking slightly disappointed.

* * *

Seras was left to have supper with Wren as Vlad left with Sebastian to, presumably, feed on humans. Seras was a little unnerved by the fact that they were going to kill people, but she brushed the thought aside. _Everybody has to eat, I suppose._ Wren spoke about a girl he met while taking the castle's dog, Baskerville, on a walk. Seras spoke about her time spent with his Master, much to Wren's surprise and slight disgust.

"It's not as if we're courting or anything. We're just… friendly."

"You've known him for about 24 hours. Just wait. He'll show his true side soon enough. I'm sorry, it just disgusts me to think about somebody fancying the evil vampire I serve."

"I don't think he's evil. Perhaps just… misunderstood. Honestly, I don't know much about him just yet. Does he ever speak of his past?"

"I can't say he's very fond of speaking about… anything. You're the first person I've ever seen him be quite so friendly to somebody."

"I don't know why. I just feel so… I don't know, he says he enjoys my company, I can't help but say the same. I feel comfortable around him, as if we were meant to meet."

"You don't truly believe in such things as 'fate', do you?"

"I'm not sure. I just know that I'm here, alive, right now, for a reason."

"Wishful thinking, don't you think?"

"Perhaps. All I know is that I can't wait to learn more about Vlad." Wren shook his head slowly, drinking from a large cup.

"Don't hold onto that thought." Seras took one last bite of a carrot on her plate and spoke after a moment.

"When do you think Vlad will be back?" The boy shrugged, flipping his long hair from his face.

"You'll be lucky if he's back before midnight. He usually spends a while feeding. The more blood he drinks, the more time it takes for him to get hungry again. Just like everything else, but he can go weeks on a few people. You're lucky you haven't seen him when he's hungry yet."

"Why?" Wren laughed, shaking his head.

"You don't want to know."

Fully satisfied with her meal, Seras stood up and decided to go explore the castle. Wren bid her goodnight and Seras set through the halls, going ways she'd never gone before getting lost. As she looked around her, she suddenly realized that she didn't remember how she got to the place she was currently at.

She found herself in a long hallway with three doors. "It's as if I was in some sort of trance. Why the hell did I not pay closer attention?" Not knowing how to get back to the dining hall, she decided to go see where one of the doors would take her. She chose the one on her right, taking in the ornate door handle. At first, the door wouldn't budge and Seras took it for locked until she pushed once more, the door opening and nearly causing her to fall.

She walked in and was greeted to a dimly lit staircase. _This must go down to some sort of cellar._ She took another step on the rickety wooden stairs and made sure to leave the door cracked open. _I don't want to get lost down here as well._ With each creak of the staircase, her heart began to race. She hadn't the faintest idea what would be down further, and her imagination was full of the most gruesome discoveries. _What if he keeps people prisoner down here, to ready them to be bled? What if he brings people who don't pay him on time down here to torture them?_

She went further down the descending stairs, the room below slowly coming into view. The subtle smell of decay ran up her nostrils and she wrinkled her nose. The farther down she went, Seras had to fight purging her supper at the pungent odor. _Are there corpses down here?_ She took a few more steps before she heard a voice calling out in the room. It was quiet, the voice, but it sounded as if it was begging.

"Please, please, help!" Seras froze, heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't yet at the bottom of the stairs, and couldn't quite see details of the room. From behind her she heard another voice.

"Why is this door open?" _Maya?_ "Better lock it up before Master returns." _No!_ Seras turned, running up the stairs in an attempt to reach the door. She tripped on a step, falling on her face and sliding down the rest. She looked up and called to Maya just as the door shut, enclosing her in the dim candle light of the cellar.

"Don't… leave me here." Seras sighed and turned around, now sitting on the floor of the room. She looked around to find it was incredibly large, but also filled with various tables and slabs. She stood, moving around to see that there were chains attached to the tables. "That's odd." She furrowed her brow as she ventured deeper into the foul smelling room. She heard a shuffling and froze in place. "Hello? Is somebody there?"

"Did they put you down here too?" Seras looked around once more, but couldn't find the source.

"Who are 'they'?"

"The King's servants. Did they?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the back of the room. I can see you." Seras looked around once more before noticing the room continued around a corner. She walked to the very end to find a young boy chained to the wall. He sat in a pile of his bonds on the stone ground. He was attractive, if not filthy. He had blonde hair, matching Seras' own, and his eyes shone with a pink hue.

"Are you a vampire?" The boy nodded. Seras crouched to her knees and came closer.

"My name is Evanos. You are not a vampire." Seras' heart sped up a bit.

"How do you know that, Evanos?" The boy's lips quivered, his fangs glittering in the dim light.

"I can… Smell you. You smell delicious. You're a virgin." Seras blinked, taken aback by his words.

"I'm… what? How did you know that?"

"I told you. I can _smell_ it in your blood." He cocked his head, eyes going up and down her body. "I haven't eaten in weeks. Little more than a few drops at least. Do you think you could… Help me?" _He wants my blood. I… I don't feel comfortable doing that._

"I'm sorry, I don't think so. Why are you here, Evanos?" He licked his lips, eyes concentrated on her neck.

"I challenged the King. My punishment was to be tortured until death. I've been here for so long, I don't remember how long."

"So… The… the King tortures you here? How?" _Certainly he doesn't mean Vlad._

"It varies. Sometimes he cuts me open, removes organs from my body, only to give me blood and heal me. Then he does it again. Other times, he just starves me. He's cut my arms, my legs off. Pulled my teeth out, cut my tongue out. Anything, really. Anything but kill me so far. I fear my time is running out, though." _That's horrible. I feel so sorry for him. So, this room in some sort of torture-cellar. How gruesome. Perhaps Vlad really is as cruel as I've heard... I'm not convinced though._ "Do you work for him? Why are you down here?"

"I'm his… friend. His friend with a horrible case of curiosity who came into the wrong room." Evanos laughed, the sound dry and coarse.

"A friend of the King is human? How strange. Are you sure you're not a maid?"

"Well, I suppose I've recently acquired that position, but I'm his friend. He saved my life."

"The King saved a human's life… Perhaps he's just waiting to drink your blood. It certainly smells delicious." _This is getting incredibly unsettling._ Seras looked at his body to find that he was wrapped in the chains.

"That must be uncomfortable. Do you want me to help you?" The boy looked to his arm, where the chain was wrapped, and nodded. Seras moved closer to him, her neck mere inches from his face as she unraveled the rusty chains. As she pulled the last loop from his arm, her finger slid against a sharp edge, resulting in a deep cut on her finger. She hissed and brought her finger to her mouth, drops of blood flying onto Evanos' arm and chains. He greedily licked the blood up as Seras stood and sucked on her wounded finger. It wouldn't stop bleeding so she pushed it into her hand, making a fist.

"Your blood is amazing. What did you say your name was?" She looked to the vampire, eyes narrowed.

"Seras. My name is Seras." The creature nodded, and Seras heard the door open, followed by heavy footsteps.

"That's him! You need to hide." Seras nodded rapidly and looked around for a suitable place, not wanting to be caught where she didn't belong. She came to a large steel chest, quickly perching behind it out of sight. Seras could hear her heartbeat in her ears and she figured the vampires would, too. She stayed quiet as the footsteps came close, passing her and going in the direction of Evanos. Seras kept her head in her hand, sitting on her knees. She heard Vlad's voice.

"It seems that you're still alive."

"Technically I'm already dead."

"Tonight is your lucky night, Evanos."

"How so, your highness?"

"Tonight is the night you get to die. Permanently." There was a rustling, and then the clinking of chains. Seras had her eyes closed tight, convinced that _if I can't see them, they can't see me._

There was a smack, and Seras figured Vlad had moved the small vampire to one of the slabs she saw when she entered. Chains clinked once more as he was, presumably, secured to the slab. After several moments of shuffling and sharp metal noises, screams filled the room, followed by the sickening sound of flesh being sliced. Seras flinched as the wet sounds continued, screams more desperate.

"Your screams are dreadfully annoying. How about I rip your lungs out? Would that make you shut up?" The screams turned to laughter before Evanos' voice spoke.

"You know, your wench Seras probably wouldn't approve of this." Seras froze. _How dare he! How could he just say that? Oh no, what if he tells Vlad I'm here? Dammit!_ It was silent for a few tense moments before a slow voice spoke.

"How do you know of her?"

"Her blood is delectable, you know. Sweet, pure, yet with just a hint of depravity. An orgasmic flavor, it truly is."

"Hold your tongue! How dare you speak of her? How do you even _know_ of her?" The slow voice was now a slow snarl. Seras' flesh was covered in goosebumps.

"That's my secret." There was a loud bang and Seras flinched.

"You lie! You know nothing!"

"I know that little Seras has feelings for the _King_. Her blood told me that. From the few small drops I tasted, that was the first thought running through them." _That's a lie. I do not have feelings for him! Nothing but gratitude._

"You filthy liar! I should have killed you much earlier!"

"Have you not smelled her yet? She's still bleeding." _Damn him!_ The room went silent once more and Seras didn't know what to do. She opened her eyes and looked to her hand to see it covered in dark blood, from the cut on her finger. She leaned against the wall, still out of immediate sight. She thought about wiping her hand on her dress, but didn't want to stain it.

Suddenly, screams filled the room again, followed by the sound of tearing flesh and the sharp crack of bones. Seras flinched, finally peering over the metal chest to find Vlad, standing in front of what appeared to be a pile of ash. She sat back against the wall and heard Vlad's heavy footsteps make their way to her. She kept her eyes on her hands, not sure if he could see her or not, and not wanting to risk looking into his.

"You're bleeding." She looked up slowly. His eyes weren't angry as she had expected, they looked more worried, sympathetic perhaps. They were soft as they looked over her. He walked closer to her and leaned down next to her.

"I know." He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and Seras leaned into the soft touch.

"He didn't bite you, did he?" Seras shook her head. "Good. Why are you down here?"

"I got lost." Vlad stared at her for a moment before smiling softly. He took her bloodied hand in his and brought it up to his mouth, licking several spots. Seras felt as though she were on fire with the heat of his tongue on her chilled flesh. She fought back a small moan as he went to her wounded finger, taking the tip into his mouth and suckling gently. He released it after several moments and licked his lips, returning his gaze to Seras' wide eyes.

"You're so clumsy. How is it that I have to keep looking after you?" Seras laughed softly.

"You don't have to."

"I do." He released her hand and she looked it over to find that the wound on her finger was gone. _How? Is it a vampire thing? If so, why doesn't he just heal my other wounds as well?_ Vlad chuckled. "Do you want my tongue all over your body?" Seras paled.

"You read my thoughts again?!" He nodded.

"They were practically yelling to me." She stared at him.

"Are you angry at me?" He looked to her, shook his head once.

"I'm not angry. I'm… Don't come down here." He stood and held out his hand to Seras. She grabbed it and he pulled her up.

"I won't. I just got lost and found this room and… I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"Did you see anything?"

"No."

"Good." He sighed. "Why don't we go up to our chambers?"

" _Our chambers?"_

"Well, it _is late,_ isn't it?" Seras smiled.

"It is."

* * *

Seras lay on the bed, looking at Vlad as he read a book in one of the large chairs of their room. He looked over his book and arched an eyebrow at her. She cocked her head.

"Aren't you going to say anything about tonight?"

"There isn't anything to say."

" _Really?"_ He sighed and placed the book on his lap.

"You wandered about, went into a room you didn't know you weren't to enter, cut yourself on _something or other,_ and tried to hide like a child. There isn't anything to say. Would you like for me to yell at you?"

"That would be more favorable that you ignoring me." He chuckled.

"I'm not ignoring you. You're such a silly girl."

"That's rude." She flipped over on the bed, now hanging upside down.

"Do you want me to call you something else?" She nodded. "Seras, you're an idiot." She narrowed her eyes at him, his upside-down image smiling.

"Well you're a bastard so there." Seras blinked and Vlad was gone from the chair, a weight now on the bed. She moved her head to look up and he leaned over her.

"You would call a man a bastard in his own home? His _bed_? How brave of you, little Seras." He bared his teeth and ran them over her neck. Seras was tempted to wrap her fingers in his long hair, to press him into her body, but she refrained. Instead, she chose to tease him.

"If you want to bite me so badly, just do it. Perhaps I _like_ that." Seras felt his body tense and he pulled away, chuckling.

"Of course you would." Seras sat up next to him and took some of his hair in her hands, playing with it.

"Tell me something about yourself."

"Such as?"

"Well, I know that you're the King of vampires. How does one get such a title?"

"I haven't any clue of that, myself." _Of course_.

"Then… What's the one thing you want more than anything? The thing you crave?"

"Power." _Oh… I don't know how to make a conversation from that._

"I doubt that." He chuckled and turned to her, their faces inches away.

"Is that so?"

"Mhm. You may _think_ you want power over everything, but that's only because you don't know of anything else to want."

"Ah, so all of a sudden, Seras knows everything about me, eh?" He smiled at her and she knew he wasn't being malicious.

"Am I wrong?" He was silent for a moment.

"I suppose not. There may be one thing I want more than power."

"And what would that be?" He hummed before answering, placing his hand on her thigh. Seras jumped a bit but payed it no attention.

"I don't know yet." Seras gave him a shy smile and he kept his hand on her thigh, turning his gaze to it as well.

"What did you and Sebastian do tonight?" He rubbed his thumb over her shift, the smooth fabric rubbing into her skin.

"We fed."

"Where?"

"Why?" Seras scowled at him.

"I want to know." He sighed.

"Just the neighboring town. I've got to go back tomorrow to see if McEllerson has payment for me yet."

"And if he doesn't?"

"I've told you; he dies." _Oh, so it's that man._

"So, what, you'll kill him right there?" He nodded. "Can I come with you?"

"You _want_ to see me kill a man?"

"Well, not entirely, but I do want to visit another town." He was quiet before speaking.

"Fine. You may come. But you will keep your mouth shut, no matter what happens." He turned to her. "If you try to intervene, I will punish you. Do you understand?"

"Yes." He nodded. "How many people did you kill tonight?"

"Five? I want to say around five. Sebastian only fed on two."

"Your voice is nice." He all but jumped as he turned to her.

"I'm… sorry?" He looked absolutely confused, and Seras giggled.

"Your voice is nice. It's silky and pretty to listen to. I like it. Maybe it's your accent, but I'm not sure. I think it's just your voice and the way you say things." He looked at her for a while before moving his eyes back to his hand on her thigh.

"Thank you, I suppose." She nodded.

"What's your last name?"

"Why?"

"Why can't you just answer a question?" He sighed. "Please, I just want to know you."

"I've gone by many names."

"Tell me one."

"The most popular one given to me was Vlad Tepes. 'Tepes' means 'impaler' in my native tongue. So, they call me 'the impaler'." At this point, Vlad bit at the air by Seras' face. She laughed and moved away.

"Why do people call you that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps it is because…. I impaled people?" He made an impaling motion with his hand and his tone was sarcastic, cutting through Seras' skin and making her laugh despite herself.

"That would be a good reason." He smiled at her and Seras smiled back. _I just don't understand how a man with such a beautiful smile could be evil to people. The way his eyes light up and crinkle when he laughs, the way his cheeks puff slightly. He's just so handsome. Even when his face is blank… He's just so attractive. I wonder what he thinks of me. I shouldn't be thinking this way about a man whom I just met. Even so…_ "Do you find me attractive?" Vlad looked at her, eyes soft.

"That seems rather obvious."

"What does?"

"Of course I find you attractive, Seras. Does anybody not?" The girl blushed, heat stinging her cheeks as she smiled, embarrassed. "Now, what of me?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think of me?" As she looked back at him, he smiled.

"I, well, I… I happen to find you very handsome." She looked away from him. _I'm being rather upfront, aren't I? Well, he asked._ Vlad still had his hand on her thigh and she felt as he gently squeezed her once before removing it.

"I'm flattered that such a beautiful woman finds me appealing. Especially so, being a monster."

" _Beautiful woman?_ My, my, aren't we being forward! And here, I thought you were a gentleman." Vlad laughed, throwing his head back.

"Draga mea, I wasn't even a gentleman when I was human!" Seras shifted on the bed.

"What were you like when you were human? Were you different?"

"Oh, I think I've changed a bit."

"For better or worse?" He cocked his head.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, I like you just the way you are. So there." She poked him in the chest. Seras yawned suddenly, not even aware that she was tired. Vlad noticed and spoke.

"Would you like to sleep?" She shrugged.

"I suppose I'm a bit tired." He smiled at her and laid down on the bed, making the candles lighting up the room blow out. Seras was left sitting in the dark and Vlad spoke, his silky voice making its way through the darkness.

"Well it's well past midnight. Come. Sleep." She sighed and crawled over his body, much to his amusement.

"Stop laughing! Not all of us can see in the dark." She crawled over his thick chest to lay by his side, gripping his arm. "You must be really strong." He shifted, turning to face her, making her let go of his arm.

"Why do you say that?" She ran a finger over his chest.

"Because of all this." He chuckled, his chest moving.

"You really _are_ tired, aren't you?" Seras had to admit, her head did feel fuzzy and heavy. She hummed and pushed her face into his chest, feeling his arms surround her. She brought a hand up to wrap around his neck and fell asleep to the whipping sounds of the wind and the soft breathing of Vlad. "Sleep well, Seras." She mumbled a reply against his masculine smelling shirt.


	4. Restless

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ So I would like to apologize in advance; I will be going to school for the next three weeks, and possibly during the summer. This means that I will have less time to work on both Unchained and AHNBFH. I'm super sorry, but I guarantee, I will be trying my hardest to put out chapters frequently. I will be working when I can . As most of my readers know, us fic authors work on our stories when we can. We're not story generating machines, and it does take time. I apologize for any delays. Thanks for understanding!

 _*** I don't own Hellsing and now I'm going to own even less since I'll have less time to write. FML ***_

* * *

Seras pushed her face into the comfortable body next to her. She was completely unaware of her surroundings, slowly coming to as she woke. The wind had died down, and now, the soothing sound of rain hitting glass surrounded her. She yawned, opening her eyes. She found herself wrapped in Vlad's arms, him still sound asleep. _He's not even breathing. Is… Is that normal? Does that normally happen at night? When he sleeps?_

She tried to crawl from his arms, but his grip was too tight. He growled in protest at Seras' attempts and she sighed. "Can you please let go?" He grunted, arms not moving. "Don't you need to go and check on your friend in the neighboring village?" _Grunt._ "Well you're going to need to get dressed if you intend on going." _Grunt._ "Vlad! If you don't let go, I'll scream!" He chuckled.

"Go ahead. The sounds of women screaming in my room isn't completely out of place." _Oh, that's disgusting. I certainly hope he means they were screaming from pain, not…_ She moved her hand up and slapped him, hard.

"Let go of me, you pig!" He let go and rubbed his face, turning and growling at Seras. "Oh, don't try and intimidate me, you animal! If a giant wolf didn't frighten me, why would you?" He narrowed his eyes. "Besides. The wolf had sharper teeth." He turned his face away, rolling around in bed.

Seras stood up from the bed, moving over to one of the dressers. Maya had placed several sets of clothing for her in the dresser, since Seras had moved into Vlad's room. "If you don't get up, I'm going to undress right in front of you." She looked in the mirror to see Vlad turn around towards her, grinning after a moment.

"Oh, who says I haven't already seen you nude?" She paled and her eyes widened. She turned to him, outfit for the day picked out in her hand.

"I think I'm starting to see why people dislike you." He laughed as she walked into the bathing room, slamming the door shut. She quickly changed into her new clothes, watching herself in the floor-length mirror. Her bruises were pale, turning green with healing. Her body was filling out to a nice shape once again, and she tied her bodice flatteringly.

She pushed her hair behind her ears and made sure she looked decent before walking back out into the room. Vlad was standing in the middle of the room, stretching his long body out. Seras watched, his back turned to her. _He's so tall. I don't think I will ever be able to get used to that height._ She closed the door and Vlad turned around, his face bright and younger looking. _He doesn't look… as old. Maybe that's what happens when he drinks blood?_

"We're leaving after I'm dressed." She nodded, walking past him to look out the window. It was dark, but still bright. _Grey. Just how I like it._ She turned, leaning on the desk. Vlad ran his fingers through his wavy hair, and Seras noticed for the first time that he was wearing jewelry. He wore several rings, as well as a necklace. The rings were made of fine jewels, sapphire and ruby. She couldn't see the necklace, only the chain. _Well, he is a King._ She watched as shadows came over his body, darkness enveloping him. They soon disappeared, leaving behind Vlad in a suit of armor. Seras' mouth dropping a bit.

"How…?" Vlad looked to her and smiled. He raised a hand.

"Vampire."

"Right…" She walked up to him and touched the armor. _It's real… I swear, my brain is going to turn to mush the more I spend time with him._

"You're ready, I presume?" She nodded. He walked to the door in response and Seras followed.

* * *

As Seras followed Vlad, they bumped into Wren. Well, Seras did, running into the boy and falling to the floor. She landed on her injured leg and groaned in pain.

"I am so sorry! I didn't see you there!" Seras looked up as Vlad pushed Wren out of the way with a stern snarl and knelt down to her.

"Are you all right?" He placed a hand on her leg, the cold armor sending chills over her flesh. Seras nodded quickly and he helped her up. He turned to Wren once again and said something to him quietly. Wren nodded and walked away, looking back once. Seras rubbed her head, one of her hands still in Vlad's.

"I'm fine. I wasn't looking where I was going." Vlad looked to her for a moment before sighing and letting go of her hand. He walked through the foyer, and Seras limped along.

* * *

Outside, Vlad lead Seras to some stables behind the castle. _I didn't even know this was here. Maybe I should come out here more often._ In the stables, Seras was introduced to a large black horse.

"What's his name?" She ran her hand over his long snout.

"Alucard." Seras cocked her head, looking at the dark beast.

"That's an odd name, isn't it?" Vlad chuckled, placing a saddle on the horse.

"I suppose. I think it suits him, don't you?" Seras looked into the dark eyes of Alucard, and nodded, deciding that the name did in fact suit him. After Alucard was saddled, Vlad came around to Seras. "Have you ridden before?" She shook her head.

"I was always too short to get on one by myself." Vlad laughed, rustling her hair.

"I will help you." He got on the horse in a swift movement, leaving Seras in awe. As he settled on Alucard's back, he took the reigns in one hand, and held his other out to Seras.

"Take my hand; I'll pull you up." A bit nervous, she placed her small hand in his larger one. She felt her arm being pulled as her body was swung onto the horse, her feet raising off the ground. It was such a quick movement that she didn't even have a chance to scream. She sat on the horse, her legs over the side comfortably. "Are you all right?" He turned around to look at her and she smiled. "You're shaking."

"What if I fall?" He chuckled.

"If you fall, I suppose you'll be free from your servitude to me." Glaring, she pushed his shoulder, her hand slamming the hard armor. She hissed, bringing the hand back to her chest. "You'll want to hold on to me, not hit me." She exhaled hard, not wanting to. He shrugged, chuckling. "If you insist." With the snap of the reigns, they were snapped forward, Seras clutching on to Vlad for dear life as the horse sped forward.

Seras held onto Vlad, watching the scenery change as they neared a village. She saw people walking back and forth, through buildings and homes. They all seemed happy; until they noticed Vlad on his horse, blonde girl in tow. At the sight of the vampire, the villagers paled, all scurrying around to get out of sight. _He must have quite the reputation._ Alucard came to a stop in front of a tavern and Vlad told Seras to hop down.

She did, her feet hitting the ground with a small cloud of dust. She straightened out, head a bit dizzy from the ride. Vlad tied Alucard's reigns up and started walking towards the large tavern. He motioned to Seras as he walked.

"Come on. And only speak if I give you permission." _What am I? A child? I suppose it may help me stay out of trouble._

"All right." Vlad waited for her to walk up to him before entering the tavern. As they entered, the smell of tobacco making her wrinkle her nose and her lungs beg for clean air. The laughter and happy voices died down as men turned from their drinks to see Vlad. Seras could practically feel their fear, and in the silence, Vlad spoke.

"Where is he?" Vlad's voice was cold, unwavering. _I've never heard his voice like this. This is nice too. Even if… it's a bit chilling._ A man sitting at the bar spoke, his voice shaky.

"W-who do you mean, Sir?"

"You know damn well who I mean." A light murmuring ran through the tavern before the same man spoke once again.

"I suppose that I could strike a deal with you. You give me your pretty little wench right there for a night, and I'll tell you all about where McEllerson is." Seras' eyes shot open wide, her throat begging to unleash the flame dipped words in her mind. _How dare he! I am no whore! I show him to respect women. Vlad better not take that deal, if he does…_

Seras looked to Vlad and found him to be staring at the man. As Seras looked to the vampire, she saw a flicker of anger in his eyes before he smiled at the man. "Now, you know that I'm going to have to kill you for that, right?" The man chuckled nervously, standing and waving his hands, nearly spilling a pint.

"Oh no, I was merely joking! I wasn't being serious, Sir!" He smiled, eyes filled with fear. "Erm, he's in the back… But don't tell 'im I told you!" The more the man spoke, the more Seras could hear the fear that shook his words. Vlad cocked his head before walking towards the man, and the back of the tavern. He stopped next to the man and drew a sword. _Hell! I didn't even notice he had that_ _ **thing**_ _on him! He really does look like a knight now, doesn't he?_

Vlad swung the long blade, stopping gently on the man's neck. He leaned back to look into the man's eyes and spoke, the words dripping acid. "If you disrespect her again, I won't stop." The man quivered, his boots shaking slightly. Vlad pulled his sword along the man's throat slowly, leaving behind a faint cut, beading with blood. Seras stood in the same place, unsure of what to do with herself. Vlad looked to her as he placed the blade back in its sheath. "Stay. Do not speak to **anyone.** " She nodded, head moving quickly. He nodded once before turning his back and walking through a door.

Seras stood, looking around. There were drunkards and prostitutes littering the tavern. Several patrons looked to her with raised eyebrows or sly grins. She cleared her throat and looked away, eyes towards the wooden floorboards. She stood there, several feet in front of the large door for several seconds, the bar slowly coming back to life from its interruption. Chuckles and laughter filled the room once more and Seras felt a bit more comfortable. That is, until she heard a voice.

"Why don't you come have a seat, child? I'm sure your master won't mind at all." Her head shot up, cheeks turning red. She sputtered her words as she spoke, flustered.

"He is not my master!" She looked to the source of the voice to find that it came from a rather attractive man at the bar. His face was blank for several seconds before a grin spread across his features.

"Then he shouldn't mind at all." Seras blinked and looked down before complying. _I don't quite feel like standing the whole day away. Besides, he never said I couldn't sit by anybody._ She walked to the bar stool the man patted beside him, and sat. A portly man behind the counter tried to ask her what she wanted, but she waved him off. The man she sat next to introduced himself. "Father Alexander Anderson." Seras took note of the large cross that hung around his neck. "What is your name, child?" _Just my name won't hurt._

"Seras." The man nodded, grin softened now to a smile. Seras was captivated by his eyes; a bright emerald, almost false looking. _He looks gentle enough, surely this will be fine._ She smiled in return, marveling in the contrast of his tanned skin and pale hair. A large scar ran across his face, somehow adding in his looks. "If you're a priest, why are you in a bar?" He laughed, the sound deep and husky.

"Aye, I suppose you're right to question it. I'm here not to drink; but to preach. Many of the men that claim to worship our lord and savior come here to sin. To become intoxicated, to sleep with godless harlots. So I took it upon myself to come straight into the devil's den. I come here, sit with my good book, and speak the word of god to any soul who wants saving." He pat a large, leather bound book on the counter. He cocked his head playfully. "You'd be surprised what one might confess to while drunk." Seras laughed at his joke, his voice and pleasant demeanor a calm amongst chaos.

"Does that actually work? Just sitting here, waiting around for people to speak with you?"

"It works well enough. How about you?"

"Hm?"

"You were with that… monster. Why? Surely a fine young lady such as yourself hasn't denounced god?" _Oh lord, please do not make me have a conversation with a priest._

"No, he saved my life. I would have died if he hadn't shown me kindness. I owe him my life. That's why." She gave him a small smile, and his eyes showed that he didn't believe her.

"That's odd. I didn't think that demons could show kindness." He paused a moment, tapping his bible. "That's it, he must want something from you. He probably saved your life just so he could take it himself." _That's rude. You're a man of god- have more tact._

"Do you know him?"

"Intimately? No. But I know what he is, _who_ he is. That thing, that _beast_ is not human, and don't you forget it. He is the sinner of all sinners, he may even rival Lucifer himself. Be wary, little Seras." _Well, he's right. Vlad isn't human. But I knew that. I don't have to worry about anything, Father._ "He's a heathen through and through. He feasts on greed and lusts for power. Nearly every man in this village has made a deal with him- and not all still live to tell the tale. If I thought it possible to save his soul, I'd try. But alas, that creature has one no more."

"Well that seems a bit dramatic, doesn't it?" Father Anderson looked to the girl, confused. "You say he has no soul because you don't agree with choices he's made. He may be cruel, and he may live by his own particular set of rules, but he has a soul. Even if it's small. At least I think so." The priest laughed, the sound not malicious, but genuinely amused.

"You can certainly hope."

"You said many of the residents have made deals with him?" He nodded. "Have you, Father?"

"Oh no. As I am, I live by the word of god. I am a man of the cloth, dispersed from earthly desires or greed. At least, I try." He gave Seras a light-hearted smile and she returned it. She turned her attention to the door that Vlad had gone through. _It's been a while, certainly everything is running smoothly…_

She was about to get up to venture after him when he walked through the door, this time with a man being dragged at his side. He spoke to the man in gruff snarls, shirt in his fist.

"Pick up your damn feet, I don't have all day!" She opened her eyes wide, as did Father Anderson as he turned to the scene. Vlad looked to Seras as she sat by the man and glared. " **Get up.** " She did, and he motioned for her to approach him. When she was less than a foot away, he spoke. "Come along and stop speaking to that damn priest." Seras narrowed her eyes at him.

"I wasn't speaking to him."

"You're a horrid liar." He pushed the man forward. "If you try to run, I'm killing you." The man nodded his head fearfully quick and Seras stood by Vlad's side.

"What are we doing?"

"Slippery bastard said he had my payment at his home. So we're seeing to the validity of that statement."

"I swear it!" the man spoke, turning to Vlad as he started to walk through the tavern, Seras and vampire in tow. Vlad merely glared at the man, and Seras thought of trying to cheer him up. _That will have to wait for later, I suppose. Can't go and ruin his horrible reputation, can I?_

* * *

Seras followed as they made their way through the village, passing all sorts of shops and businesses. She saw a few women whispering to each other as they pointed in her direction and brushed it away. When they made it to the man's home, Seras noticed that he seemed more shaken than he had as he walked. He stopped in front of the door and Vlad came up behind him, roughly shoving him forward.

" **Get in.** " The man complied, opening the door with his shaky hand and walking in. Vlad entered after him and Seras after him. Upon entering, Seras noticed how cluttered the home was, as if somebody had been searching for something throughout it. Vlad walked up to the man and pulled him up by his collar to look into his eyes. "Now go get it," he snarled. He dropped the man and he scrambled to his feet, quickly turning around and scuttling off out of view.

Seras moved to be close to Vlad's side and rubbed his hand with hers, the feel of his armor cold against her skin. He looked down to her hand and rubbed her fingertips with his. She smiled. "You know, that priest called you the devil." He chuckled happily.

"Good! I'm glad he holds me with such high regard." Rolling her eyes, she heard the scuffle of the man searching through things. The man came back into view with a bag of what Seras assumed was money. The man handed it to Vlad and the vampire raised an eyebrow. "This feels light."

"No, it's all there! I assure you."

"And what about interest?"

"I… I'm sorry?"

"I gave you an extension on your payment. My patience isn't free." The man paled and Seras thought of laughing before remembering that _this man might die if he doesn't come up with the rest of the payment._ The man blinked for a few seconds before speaking once more, his tone urgent and pleading.

"But I… I don't have anything more." Vlad smiled, leaning close to the man.

"Then I guess you'll just have to die, won't you?" Paling, the man opened his mouth to speak, but Vlad interrupted. "I don't want to hear anything except for 'yes Sir, I have your money right here.' Anything else is going to get you killed."

"Please, I have a wife, a daughter!"

"Yes, I daughter you offered me as payment. As you can see, I've a much better woman of my own. I'm sure you won't be missed by either wife nor child." Seras looked at the vampire. _He's enjoying this. He's tormenting this man for nothing more than sheer entertainment. He_ _ **is**_ _a bit off, isn't he? I do have to say, though, that smile is dashing._ She fiddled with her hands, now placed behind her back. Vlad's grin was stretched across his face, a finger under the human's chin. "Now, I'll give you ten seconds to find the rest of the money you owe me." His finger flicked away from the man's flesh. "Ten… Nine…. Eight…"

Seras could feel the man's fear radiating through the house as the tall vampire walked around the room, sliding his finger over furniture as he counted down. He was slow at first, then quickened his counting as he reached lower numbers. The man, _McEllerson, was it?,_ ran back into the room, another, smaller bag of coins in his hands.

"Here! It's all I've got left." Vlad took the bag with a scowl, cocking his head as he weighed it. He sighed before speaking.

"I suppose this will do. If you ever," he pointed a finger down into the man's chest, "choose to ask my assistance with _anything_ hereafter, I will make sure you don't get the leniency I've shown you _this_ time. Do you understand me?" The now pale McEllerson nodded vigorously, chanting a mantra of 'I understand you' towards the vampire. "Good." Turning around, Vlad walked Seras out of the house. As the exited, Seras heard the distinct sound of cursing, followed by the sound of things breaking and hitting the floor.

* * *

Seras thought they were going to walk back to Alucard as they neared the horse, but Vlad kept walking on into the tavern. Seras followed him curiously, asking him questions that he ignored. "What are we doing? What are _you_ doing?" He entered the dark tavern, the cheerful sounds turning into silence once more. His loud voice filled the room.

"Priest!" Seras felt her heart drop as he called to Father Anderson. The blonde man turned with a smile.

"What ever could you want, you filthy heathen?" Seras flinched at the priest's words. Vlad narrowed his eyes.

"Have you gotten any better with a _real_ blade?"

"What are you doing?!" Seras grabbed at his hand, only to have it ripped away roughly and point at Anderson. Vlad walked forward as he spoke.

"You spoke to my Seras." _Your Seras? I don't belong to you!_ Seras felt anger rise up in her chest at his claim to her being. She stood in place, not wanting to fuel the fire in the room. She ground her teeth as his words played over in her mind. _Just let it go, Seras. Don't think about it._

"Now, now! I simply spoke to her about the Divine Truth! You know, 'Father' isn't actually my name." Vlad growled and Anderson stood, grabbing at a blade he had under his coat. _Priests aren't supposed to have weapons! What the bloody hell?_ Seras forgot her anger and moved closer to the scene to see that he indeed _was_ running his fingers along the silver handle of a shiny blade. "Careful, demon. I already have half a mind to slay you and free that poor girl there."

At Anderson's words, she stepped forward. "I don't need freeing. I am not being held against my will. I am not some _poor girl_. I am perfectly capable of defending myself and I don't need a man to do it for me. Let alone, one as rude as you." Anderson laughed at her display, fueling her anger towards the man further.

"I should have known! You're a heathen too," the priest chuckled. Seras narrowed her eyes and walked forward, coming to Vlad's side.

"I suppose I am. And guess what? I even share a room with this demon." She smirked at Anderson's wide eyes. "We _share a bed."_

"You're the devil's whore." Seras lifted a hand to her chest.

"Me? But I thought I was a poor girl in need of saving! I suppose 'whore' isn't too bad of a title compared to that." She looked to Vlad to see that he was looking to the ground, smiling. He looked up and sighed.

"Well, Seras, how about we go home. I don't quite feel like ripping anybody apart today." Seras turned swiftly, walking away. Vlad followed, his heavy steps bringing a smile to Seras' face.

"I'll kill you both." Anderson's low voice followed the two as they exited.

"I'm going to kill you first, Father," Seras called over her shoulder bitterly.

* * *

Seras and Vlad didn't speak the whole journey home, so she just watched as their surroundings changed and they neared the castle. She held on tight to him, his armor still cold, despite her body heat. She felt awkward, as if some thick tension filled the space between them, but she didn't want to talk about it until later that evening. _Perhaps I can get him to talk to me when we lay in bed. Perhaps, with some clever coercing, he may even speak of his feelings! That would be a first. Maybe all men are like this: quiet and emotional, withdrawn and separated._

They came to the castle, and Seras kept the thought in her mind, adding an afterthought. _He always says he is a monster though. Perhaps that makes something different in the way he acts. I'm not sure, though._ She hopped off of Alucard, in the stable, landing her feet on soft hay. Vlad came off after her, taking one small step down to solid ground.

She turned to him, his back to her. He walked on, not turning to her. Seras walked up to him, her feet moving fast to keep up with his long strides. "So," she started cautiously, in case he was in a mood, "where's your dog?"

"Oh, he should be here somewhere. Most likely where ever Wren is, Baskerville will follow." She nodded, taking note of his light tone. _So he doesn't seem very angry._

"I love dogs. How big is he?" He looked down to her, raising his eyebrows.

"Bigger than you." She furrowed her brow, hand on hip as she walked.

"Was that a jest at my height? I'll have you know, I'm of average height." Vlad chuckled, mumbling under his breath.

" _For a child._ " Seras gasped and hit him with her closed fist, her soft knuckles meeting solid armor. She whimpered and pulled her hand back to her chest, quickly. He laughed. "You really _are_ an idiot, aren't you!?" He smiled down at her and she narrowed her eyes.

"I'm smarter than you."

"How so?"

"I don't go around threatening priests. Who does that? Only idiots." She flourished her words with a smooth flick of her finger, her eyes closed as she walked along side Vlad. He hummed.

"Perhaps you're right. I hate that man, though, so I believe my reasoning is a bit more sound than a common fool's."

"Why did you-"

"I do not wish to speak about the day's events right now."

"Oh… Well, perhaps later?" He mumbled something too low for Seras to hear and she huffed. "I'm taking that as a yes." He looked at her with narrowed eyes and they walked up the steps to the front door. He pushed it open effortlessly, the large wooden slabs moving smoothly. They entered and Seras sighed at the warmth of the castle. She hadn't realized how chilly she had been outside, but now being inside, she felt her whole body relax a bit more at the heat.

"Go find some way to occupy yourself; I've got to have a word with Sebastian." He didn't give her a chance to argue as he took off quickly, his long strides moving his thick body swiftly. His armor fell with a splash of black, whispy shadows and Seras wondered for a brief instant just _what exactly those would feel like on my body._ He took off down a hallway, going somewhere Seras didn't know. _He's capable of getting somewhere. This is his home, anyway._

She cleared her throat in the empty foyer, looking back and forth between the possible paths she could take. Only one led to a place she was familiar with, and she didn't feel like getting lost and testing Vlad's patience with her presence. So, she took off up the velvet-carpeted stairs, reaching up to the upper levels. She would go to the kitchen, one of the only rooms she knew the position of. Walking slowly, enjoying the time she was wasting, she made it to the dining room, the long table illuminated by candle light that never seemed to dim. _Must be magic. Hell, if vampires exist, what doesn't?_ She heard scuffling in the kitchen, and she moved her slightly achy body into the separated room.

In it, she found Maya, handing Wren spoonfuls of something. She announced herself cheerily, the two turning. Wren waved, his mouth full, and Maya gave Seras salutations. "What are you doing in here?" Wren swallowed his food.

"Maya is using me as a tester for her food."

"Why?" Seras walked up to them, inhaling the savory smells of the food the woman was cooking.

"Because, I can't eat. Sadly…" She looked sad for a moment, before shaking her head and stirring carrots into the large pot she was working at. She appeared to be making a stew of some sort, and Seras was thankful she didn't see any meat anywhere, only vegetables and bread.

"Why can't you eat?" Maya stopped stirring, turning to the young girl. She blinked for a moment before speaking.

"I'm a vampire. Vampires don't get to enjoy traditional food." She turned away wistfully. "Only blood." Wren nodded, lifting a finger.

"And raw flesh." Seras felt her face wrinkle in disgust involuntarily, quickly replacing the distaste evident on her face with false cheeriness. Maya narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"Luckily I've never enjoyed blood enough to enjoy _that_ as well."

"Master does." Maya nodded at Wren's statement. He spoke so calmly, as if his words were the most normal, their topic the most typical of conversations. Seras made a note not to kiss the King vampire anytime soon, if he truly did eat raw human flesh. _And enjoy it…_

Seras sighed and Maya placed the large wooden spoon held in her hand up to Seras' mouth instead of Wren's. "'Ere. What do you think?" Seras took the spoon in her mouth, chunks of carrot and warm broth filling her senses. She chewed and swallowed, the taste remaining in her mouth and Seras realized how hungry she was.

"That tastes amazing." Maya beamed at Seras' words.

"Of course it does! I'm an amazing cook." Wren laughed, turning away from the two women. "What is it? Have something to say, boy?" She prodded Wren with the spoon and he yelped. Seras laughed. "Seras, how did things go today?" She shrugged.

"Vlad nearly killed a priest. I nearly let him." Maya raised her eyebrows and Wren turned around.

"Do you mean Alexander Anderson? Is that the priest?" Seras straightened, confused.

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"He's a hunter," Wren said.

"A hunter…?" Maya sighed.

"A vampire hunter. Well, he also kills other supernatural beings, such as lycanthropes, ghouls, etcetera."

"What are 'ghouls'? And what exactly is the 'etcetera'?" Both of Vlad's servants looked amongst each other before one of them sighed, the other laughed.

"You're so clueless. It's refreshing." Seras furrowed her brow.

"I'm not clueless."

"Did you know that my Master sleeps in a coffin?"

"No, he doesn't."

"He does. He just hasn't since you've been here." _That's an odd place to sleep, even for a vampire. Or is it?_

"Is that normal? For vampires?" Wren nodded. "What about you, Maya? Do you?"

"Sometimes. Other times I just sleep in the bed."

"What other things do I not know?" Both Wren and Maya shrugged.

"Why don't you two go get a seat. This is nearly done now." Maya turned towards the two humans, pushing them out of the kitchen. "Go, now!"

Seras and Wren stood outside the closed kitchen doors, slowly turning to each other. "What other things do I not know?" she asked, this time more persistent.

* * *

Seras was full, having eaten multiple bowls of the stew Maya made. _It really was delicious. I don't think I've had a bad meal here. I think I can enjoy staying here forever._

"So, you never said why Master confronted Anderson. He usually ignores the man."

"Oh," she put down her spoon. "He was upset that I spoke to him. Or that he spoke to me. Something."

"That sounds like jealousy." _Does it? Jealous of what? Certainly he doesn't feel anything towards me… Right?_

"How so?" Wren shrugged, still eating his supper.

"Just seems like it. You know, my Master likes you. A lot. More than I think he's liked anything. It's odd." He seemed to ponder something before speaking again. "He's definitely taken a shine to you. Whenever I see him speaking with you, he almost seems… happy."

"I'd hope so. He has such a lovely smile, I'd love to see it more often." Wren raised an eyebrow, clearing his throat. Seras could tell he was both confused and uncomfortable by her statement. "What? It's lovely." He shook his head.

"You're not normal."

"I happen to think I'm the _only_ normal person here." She played with the spoon in her bowl. "Do you know how much longer Sebastian will be staying?"

"No idea," he mumbled, his mouth full. He swallowed. "Why?"

"Well, it's just that… I," she sighed, shifting in her seat, "I feel as if he doesn't like me very much. Now that he knows that _I_ know he's a vampire."

"He pretends to be charismatic and charming, but he's really just an arse. It's probably better if he doesn't pretend to like you. You'd think that a noble would act like an adult, not like a child." He took a drink. "Don't worry though. Master won't let him do anything to you." _I suppose that's good. But I don't need to rely on him to protect me. I can take care of myself._ Seras yawned, ready for sleep. She took a final sip of the water she'd been drinking during supper and pushed herself up from the chair.

"I'm going to bed. Have a nice night, Wren." He smiled at her and waved and Seras walked out of the dining room.

* * *

 _God, is my leg ever going to heal? I mean, my bruises are almost all gone, and I'm filling out nicely. Even my shoulder is feeling better. The ache is dulling and I can move it better now. What time is it, I wonder? I wonder if Vlad is in his… our room. I still want to talk to him. So everybody knows Anderson?_ She walked slowly through the hallway, their room coming into view.

 _He's a hunter… Like a monster hunter? That explains the blade he kept on him… Has he tried to kill Vlad? Obviously they're acquainted._ She opened the door, entering the room. Vlad was sitting in a chair, his eyes closed. Seras smiled sly, closing the door behind her quietly. She slipped her shoes off and walked to the bathing room, undressing into a slip. She walked back out and tip toed over to him. He appeared to be asleep so Seras leaned down, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his cheek as he woke up with a start. She giggled in his ear and he turned to look into her eyes.

"What are you doing, Seras?" His crimson eyes were open wide and she smiled wider.

"Waking you up! You can't sleep without me, you know." She let go of him and walked around the chair, grabbing one of his hands and pulling. "Come on, I want to sleep." He sighed but got up, following her to the bed. Seras jumped into it, laying on top of the blankets. Vlad kicked his boots off and joined her, laying by her side. Seras sighed, enjoying the simple feeling of his body next to hers.

"Seras, are you feeling alright?" Turning to him, she moved her hand to his own and played with his fingers.

"Yes. Why?" He arched an eyebrow.

"You're being very… _physical_." _Am I? I don't think so._

"I've been thinking about some things that I want to speak with you about." He turned on his side, taking his hand away from hers. She followed his movement.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like… how do you know Father Anderson?" His face took on a distasteful look at the mention of the man.

"Paladin Alexander Anderson, renown vampire hunter. Kills in the name of god, and turns vampires to dust for fun. He's rather insane, if you listen to the prattle he spouts off."

"I'd say he's more fanatical than insane." Vlad smirked.

"Oh, he's insane. And you threatened him. That makes you his enemy as well. You turned on him rather quickly!"

"He threatened you." His eyes narrowed playfully and he cocked his head.

"So you would take my side in a fight? How dumb of you." Seras smiled.

"How so? I doubt anybody could beat you. You could win any fight." Vlad smiled at her, his handsome face glowing.

"I'm amazed by your faith in my abilities! You haven't even seen me do battle. What if I've never won a thing in my life?"

"Obviously you have, otherwise people wouldn't fear you so much. And you wouldn't be a king. Kings win." He inched closer to her face.

"If people fear me so much, why do you not?" _Why indeed?_ She moved in, their lips now centimeters away.

"I see something much more than 'evil' in you. You intrigue me. Everything about you. I… want something with you." _What am I saying?_ "I want to be with you." As she looked into his eyes, she saw them fill with _something_. They softened, after widening.

"What are you saying, Seras?" His lips tickled hers as spoke, leaning in closer.

"I wish I knew." That was when she did it. She pushed her mouth into his, lips meeting for the first time in a warm embrace. Her body shivered as he pushed into her act, his own lips molding against hers in a gentle kiss. He brought his hand to rest on her waist, pulling her body against his own. She could feel his body vibrating, sure her own was doing the same.

His lips were soft and warm against hers, his touches and kisses gentle and passionate. They kissed over and over, growing more heated and hungry for each other. Soon, Seras' heart was beating fast, a hard drum in her chest, the sound echoing through her head. Vlad moaned lightly against her lips and she pressed harder against him, bringing her hands up around his neck, fingers tangling in his long hair. She returned the moan with her own, her chest pushing against his, the fabric of their clothing sliding against each other and Seras' brain screamed at her to take it off.

She didn't though, instead just draping a leg over his waist, her womanhood against his manhood. He was hard, she noticed, and she kissed him harder, harder, harder. Her whole body was hot, her blood on fire it seemed. Every cell in her body begged for Vlad to take her, though she didn't know why the feelings were so intense. She'd never even kissed a man before tonight, but she needed to kiss him.

She moaned in protest as he pulled away from their kiss, letting out a small 'oh' as he placed his hot mouth on her neck. He used his other hand to pull her head back in a comfortable position as he kissed and licked at her throat. In a swift motion, he was atop her, his face buried in her neck. She could feel nothing but bliss, even as he nipped at her flesh. She spread her legs for him and he pushed into her, grinding lightly against her core. She dug her nails into his back, poking small holes in his shirt.

Her eyes were half open and blurry from ecstasy, her head rolling lazily on the pillow. She was panting, small sounds escaping her mouth every so often. She dug her nails harder into his back as a sharp pressure met her neck. Her body seemed to freeze for a moment before she felt pleasure once more. Only, this pleasure was different, pouring throughout her veins. It was as if a stream of intensity was pushed throughout her being, her skin on fire. She writhed beneath him, her nails scratching him as her eyes closed tight now. She felt hot, unbearably so. She moaned, the sound loud and heavy with lust and desire. She felt a dull, pounding pain pulsating from where Vlad was kissing her. She felt herself falling, falling. _Falling into what? What's happening? I'm so tired…_ Her heart slowed down, her head heavy with something other than pleasure now.

It was as she began to die, she realized what had happened.

 _He bit me._


	5. Message To The Masses! :)

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ Wow guys, sorry for the wait, but writing the last chapter was so hard for me. I couldn't think of a good plot, and it took me about seven rewrites and five different plotlines. But here it is after this, and it's short. You know I have to leave you on a cliff-hanger. It's my thing.

So I'd like to thank every-fuckin-body for their support! Wow, this fic blew up! It's getting even more popular that Unchained! Thanks! I'm so glad you like it, and I'm thankful you like my writing. I never thought it was very good, or worthy of viewing. You guys have given me such good vibes and hope for my future as an author.

I always meet people who don't take Fanfiction or fic authors seriously, but these fics can lead to fame and a lot of practice and good things for the writers! (Look at 50 Shades of Gray for instance, as much as I hate it). I really love you guys, seriously. Ya'll make my days great. I feel so good when somebody reviews or follows or favorites any of my stuff.

I'm gonna tell you guys something personal. I've got major depressive disorder, and have struggled with it my whole life, even as a child. I've attempted suicide many times and have been hospitalized at treatment centers. This last time was in February, and as soon as I got out, I started writing. I went to therapy and decided that I wanted to work on my writing, wanted to publish things asap.

So, I did. And I never thought any of my stuff would be so greatly received. So I thank you all, because I not only write this stuff for you, but for myself. It's a way of coping, and I'm so glad you all enjoy it.

Well, this isn't what you guys were expecting to see, but the next chapter is up after this. The REAL chapter 5.

I hope you enjoy!


	6. Absent Confusion

Seras felt her body go limp, her hands falling from the vampire's back as his teeth remained in her. After several moments, she felt the pressure release from her neck. His deep voice was the last thing she heard as she fell.

"I want you Seras. And now you can be mine. You will die if I don't turn you. Do you want to die?" She shook her head slowly. "Then you wish to be mine? I can give you eternity. If only you'll be mine." _I'm not ready to die._ She nodded lazily, and once again felt a sharp sting in her neck.

She fell asleep.

* * *

Seras awoke to a soft voice calling her name. The voice grew louder as she was roused into consciousness. Suddenly, she remembered the night before and gasped, clawing at her neck and her eyes opening wide. "Oh god! I'm dead! I'm dead!" She screamed and an arm quickly made its way around her, her face being shoved into a large chest before she had time to focus on her surroundings. The voice belonged to the chest, and Seras recognized the voice as being Vlad's. Vlad spoke once more, just as Seras began to panic, sweat covering her body as she panted.

"Seras, what on earth are you talking about? Are you ill?" She couldn't understand why he was being so calm, especially when he had just killed her.

"I'm dead, a corpse, a monster! My life is gone, forever, oh god," she felt hot tears fall from her eyes and grabbed onto his soft linen shirt. His hand stroked her hair softly and she shuddered.

"Seras Victoria, you're dead? You certainly seem alive to me." She wanted to scream at his careless teasing, but her tears choked her. "Darling, it was but a dream." She whimpered her words in a quiet reply.

"A dream?" Her face remained against his chest.

"You've been asleep for quite some time. I should have woken you earlier, but you didn't seem as though you were having a nightmare." He chuckled, playing with her hair. "A very vivid one, at that. Pray tell, whatever was it about?"

 _A… A dream? A nightmare? It seemed so very real! When did I go to sleep? I'm so confused._ "I'm so confused." She pulled away from his chest and wiped her eyes, noticing the wet spots she had left on his clothing. He looked as though he had woken up not long ago, his thick hair tousled and messy. His eyes were soft, a small smile playing on his lips. The vampire cocked his head slightly, before grinning. He took his hands away from her body, allowing his fingers to stroke her cheek softly before sighing and placing them in his lap.

The two sat atop his bed, blankets and sheets surrounding them, falling off of the bed. She looked around, not taking in much but calming down. She fingered her neck, noticing the absence of wounds. She looked to the back of her wrist, noticing her faint pulse. She sighed in relief, falling back into the soft blankets. She laughed. "I'm alive! I'm still alive! Oh, praise all that is holy, bloody hell!" She still didn't remember the previous night's _real_ events, however.

"You're such a silly girl." Seras watched, smile still on her mouth, as Vlad laid down next to her, leaning on his elbow. Her eyes wandered his face, looking for any hint of annoyance. All she found was tired humor.

"What time is it?" She noticed it was dark in the room, aside from several low burning candles.

"A little past 2 in the morning." _Is it really?_ The clock was just out of her vision.

"What happened?" An eyebrow arched.

"To what?"

"To me. All I remember is my dream, and I haven't the faintest idea why. So, if that hasn't happened, what did?" He was silent a moment, studying her face.

"You truly don't recall?" She shook her head slowly. He hummed before speaking. "Last night you came onto me, rather forcefully, might I add. We kissed for a bit. Made love." Seras gasped.

"We did not!" Vlad laughed, grin wide on his handsome face.

"No, we didn't. But would it have been so bad if we did? How insulting."

"What happened? Tell me!" She pushed his chest.

"Apparently you had a bit too much to drink last night. So," he placed a hand on the back of her head, once again playing with her blonde hair, "as I was doing something like this…" Vlad dipped his head quickly into the crook of her neck and she squealed. He chuckled and suckled at her flesh gently, planting small kisses on her. He quickly nipped her, scratching her skin with his teeth but not drawing blood. Her nightmare started coming back to her at his action. He brought his face back, grinning at the shocked human.

"But I…"

"As I was doing that, you mumbled something about 'not wanting to die' and then… you were asleep. A highly uncomfortable experience for me, you should know." _Not wanting to die? Wait…? Did… Did I really dream or did I just_ _ **think**_ _something else happened?_

"I'm still confused."

"Then tell me what you thought happened. Apparently you have quite the fear of death, little Seras." She smirked at her. "Or perhaps you're just so incredibly attracted to it that you want it in _another_ way?" She ignored his comment and sat up.

"I thought you bit me and turned me into a vampire." Vlad was silent and Seras turned to him, expecting him to be angry or upset. His face was blank until he laughed loudly, eyes closed tight. She furrowed his brow. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"You… You thought I _turned_ you?! Oh Christ!" He continued to laugh. "Me? Turn… Turn _you?_ Ridiculous!" Her mouth fell open.

"What the bloody hell is so wrong with me? Huh? Why wouldn't you want to turn me into a vampire?"

"Oh, because. That would be cruel."

"I thought you were a cruel man." She crossed her arms. His laughter stopped slowly.

"I'm not that cruel. You deserve to live. Even if it is only for an hour, or a day. You deserve life." He came up to her. "I wouldn't want to be the one to take it from you."

"And if I wanted you to?" She didn't understand why she was asking these things, she just felt offended by his reaction. Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"If you wanted me to… I suppose that would be different." She huffed and turned away.

"I don't remember drinking."

"Wren said you had several cups of wine. I don't think you can handle your liquor, little girl."

"I've never been drunk in my life. At least not to the extent that I started hallucinating."

"Then you've certainly been missing out."

"I feel like an idiot. Why would I imagine such a thing?"

"Don't think about it too much. I'm not bothered by it. In fact, I'm quite flattered."

"Why?" She suddenly felt his breath on her neck as he purred in her ear.

"Because it means that you want _my_ teeth inside you." She felt heat rush to her cheeks and she slapped the air by her ear, making him move.

"You're disgustingly vulgar."

"Me? I was just pointing something out." She narrowed her eyes at the smiling vampire. Sighing, she laid back down on the bed.

"I just don't understand. So, nothing I thought happened really happened the way I thought it did? It all happened a different way? A less romantic and sweet way?"

"I wouldn't quite call drunken kisses romantic." He laid down next to her.

"What exactly did I say to you? What did I do?"

"You didn't exactly say much. You said things like I intrigue you, and you moaned quite often when I kissed you. I was completely taken aback, of course, but you whined every time I tried to stop. It was rather ridiculous, actually. Quite exhausting. But who am I to deny the lovely Seras Victoria gentle kisses?" He smiled at her, the scene charismatic and Seras couldn't help but smile back and laugh.

"I remember that, though. So you're sure you didn't bite me?" Vlad nodded. "I honestly don't remember drinking any alcohol. He shrugged.

"Wren said you kept pouring more and more cups of vodka."

"Vodka? What's that?" Vlad sighed.

"Something you probably shouldn't continue to drink."

"I thought it was water. My mouth burned a bit, but I just thought… I don't know what I thought, actually."

"Well, now that we have determined you were drunk, are you out of questions?" She nodded slowly after a moment. "Good. Now, go to sleep. And don't have any nightmares." The candles suddenly went out, shrouding the room in darkness.

Seras lay next to Vlad, slightly shocked by his sudden action. As she focused, she did indeed feel her head swimming with the onslaught of a hangover. _I just can't understand why I twisted reality so? And why is he so casual about kissing me? I should just sleep and forget about this. He seems to have already done that. Lord, Seras, you really are a mess, aren't you?_

Seras turned on her side, getting comfortable in a bundle of blankets. Vlad hummed and came to her side, casually cradling her body against his. She smiled, pushing the bad thoughts she had had earlier to the back of her mind. _This is nice._

* * *

"No."

"But sir-"

"I said no."

"Well-"

" **No. Don't ask me again.** " A sigh.

"Yes Master." Another sigh. Something tightens around Seras' waist.

"Anything else?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Good. Now get out and tell him to ask me directly the next time he wants something, the coward." Seras stirred, moaning lightly at the disturbances going on around her. She was semi-conscious, aware of what was being said but not why, or what the words meant. She opened her eyes slowly, unused to the bright light that suddenly filled her senses. "Oh, it seems that the princess is finally waking." Vlad chuckled. She tried to break free from his tight hold, but the arms wrapped around her didn't budge.

"I'm hungry." She squirmed in his grasp.

"That's unfortunate." She craned her neck to look into his dark eyes.

"I'm going to go get some breakfast. Is there anything we need to do today?"

"No, Sebastian is heading home today, though. Perhaps we may go and attend a ball tonight."

"A ball?"

"Mm."

"I've never been to a ball." Vlad didn't reply. "Who's ball is it?"

"Her name is Evianna Elenora Marielle," Vlad over accentuated every syllable of the woman's name, making Seras laugh.

"Is it really?"

"So she says."

"And just who is this Lady Evianna?"

"She is a noble, a vampire. She made her way into the highest ranking of vampiric aristocracy through the means of which every woman possesses."

"And what's that?"

"The sway of her hips and her ability to draw a man's eye to her most special of places."

"You included?" She felt a pang of jealousy at the way he described her, even though his tone displayed utter distaste.

"Evianna is not my type. I'm not interested in petty whores." She smiled softly, feeling reassured.

"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh?"

"You'll see when you meet her."

"When I meet her? So we're going then?" He sighed.

"I suppose. Not only she will be there, but as will many other nobles. You should get yourself acquainted if you intend on staying with me."

"Will Sebastian be going?"

"No, he isn't very fond of parties, believe it or not."

"If there are going to be vampires there, are there going to be any humans? Or am I to be the main course in some sort of demented meal?" She only half joked with her last statement.

"No, there will be other humans. They're typically serving the guests. Or being eaten. But you're a guest, you won't fall to that fate…" He paused. "Unless it's by me, of course." Seras wanted to both laugh and scream in frustration but she did neither, instead maintaining her silence and trying to push his arms from her body. "Oh, stop that. You're just exhausting yourself." Seras sighed and dropped her hands, giving in to his grasp.

"Will I have to wear a," she shuddered, "a gown?"

"Well, it is customary, but you needn't wear anything extraordinarily elegant. More so, I'll have somebody find something nice for you."

"So, I'll be accompanying you? As your date?" She felt him bristle.

"Well… I… Yes, I suppose so." Seras thought it was cute to hear him so flustered, even if she couldn't see his face. She could hear the nervous excitement in his voice, despite him trying to hide it.

"I hope you introduce me as such, and not just as your maid." Vlad laughed.

"Why not both?" Seras thought for a moment.

 _Why not, indeed?_

* * *

Seras realized very quickly that wine was not her friend. Her head ached and her vision was blurry most of the day, even as she spoke to Maya about the previous night.

"Aye, Wren did say he saw you wobbling away after supper. I could hear you from the kitchen, slurring and saying the oddest things about my Master when you spoke to the boy. I guess he was just having too much fun with you like that, damned boy. I," the red-haired woman pointed at Seras, "would have told you. I just don't understand how you didn't know how much you were drinking." Seras shrugged.

"I had other things on my mind, I guess."

"You're certainly different, aren't you? No wonder Master has taken such a shine to you." Seras smiled at the comment.

"Really? Sometimes I can't tell if he's being serious or just teasing me. It must be fun for him, but it's close to mental torture for me." Seras spun the bright green apple by its stem, her head resting on her face. Her thoughts poured from her lazy mind. "I still haven't seen the dog you all talk about. I think you've just been teasing me too." Maya laughed, the sound high and musical.

"Oh, Baskerville is around the grounds somewhere. He always comes back from the forests at dark. He may be large, but he's sweet." Seras finally bit into the apple, sour juice filling her mouth. She resisted the sudden urge to spit out the fruit, instead swallowing it quickly and nearly choking. Relieved that she didn't meet her demise at the hands of an apple, she shook her head and looked back to Maya, who was casually leaning against a counter.

"So, what are vampire parties like?" The woman examined her long nails. Seras looked to her own short ones and envied her femininity for a moment.

"It's like this: a large room filled with undead bigoted aristocrats and noblemen fighting silent wars of 'who looks the best,' and 'who has the most money, the most beautiful mate'. It's absolutely ridiculous. But sometimes," Maya giggled, "sometimes, a pair get into a fight, or even worse. Vampires fighting against other vampires is truly a sight to be seen. They usually don't stop until one or the other is dead. Or until somebody of higher ranking intervenes and makes them stop. These fights are usually petty, but still end in bloodshed and destruction. Especially if it's a fight over a mate, lord! It's great entertainment, but if you've never seen a fight like it, you're likely to be shaking in your boots."

"Why? I've seen fights before." Seras took another bite, this time prepared for the rush of sour.

"Not like these. Vampires can and _will_ summon their familiars, and those, too, will fight amongst themselves to protect the vampire. Vampires have many powers that you can't even begin to comprehend as a human, love." The human girl didn't pay much mind to the mention of 'familiars', instead on something she heard before.

"What is a 'mate'? Is it like a partner? A wife, or a husband?" Maya turned her head side to side.

"No, mates run much deeper than that. Vampires mate for life, or until the other dies. And if that happens, they'll likely never find another. It's as if the two are bonded, deep to the core of the person; sometimes, it's as if the two are one. I would say that the two are in love, but it truly is much more than the human emotion." Seras took in the woman's words, playing them over and over in her head until she spoke again. "Vampires are very protective of their mates, eviscerating and destroying anything or anyone that dares to threaten them. Threatening a vampire's mate is not a smart thing to do, unless you know you can handle the fight."

"How do you know so much, Maya? Did you have a mate?" Maya froze, her face unmoving and Seras immediately regretted asking. "No, it's fine, you needn't answer. It doesn't matter."

"His name was Louis. He was the one who taught me, after my maker left. He… he's gone now." Maya chuckled, cheerily. "Obviously." Seras was taken aback at the woman's cheery tone.

"What happened?"

"He got into a fight, and lost. I tried to protect him, tried to help, but it was useless. He was doomed from the moment he said 'I bet you couldn't even win a fight against me'. What stupid words. He wasn't always the brightest." A smile crept onto Maya's mouth, likely due to the memories of her lover swimming through her mind.

"Who… Who did it, if you don't mind?" _Was that too much? I should be more respectful._

"The King." Seras' eyes widened.

"You mean Vlad? Vlad killed Louis?" Maya nodded.

"Tore him apart. The fight didn't even last thirty seconds."

"Why would he do something like that? Why do you still work for him?"

"It was before I began working for him. It's how we met. And the King kills all who question his authority, and Louis did. I suppose he felt something akin to pity for me, as I fell to the ground, sobbing my eyes out." She paused, cocking her head. As she did, her curly hair bounced atop it, carroty waves flowing in and out of each other. "It must not have been pretty. After he killed him, he came over to me and offered me a job, and protection, so long as I didn't share my mate's opinion. I didn't, so I took his offer."

"How long ago was this?"

"Oh, years. Time moves differently for vampires; for some it can be an unbearable process, for others, it moves quickly. I happen to think I'm in the latter. I didn't stop holding animosity towards my Master until about two years ago, though. I'm sure he knew how I felt about him, but he never said anything. Thank the lord."

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what that would have felt like. It must have been horrible to have the person you care so much about ripped from you. The closest I have to that is the wolf I met before I had to leave my village, but I know it's not even the same." Maya laughed, eyes crinkling at the edges.

"It's exactly the same. Except you risked your life for that dog, I… I just watched. I'm not sure if I regret it or not, perhaps in the moment I did. But I rather like living." Seras laughed this time.

"Did Vlad ever apologize?"

"He doesn't apologize. For anything. Even if something was obviously his fault, he's the King. Kings don't apologize."

"He's apologized to me, though I don't know if he was teasing. Like I said, he's so cryptic around me. It's as if he doesn't want me to get too close, or too far away. It's frustrating. Was Louis like that with you?"

"For a while, yes. But once he understood that I wasn't going to leave him or betray him in some way, he calmed down. But, certainly you're not interested in my Master the way I was my mate?" Seras was quiet, eyes on her browning apple. "Certainly not?" More silence. "You're just charmed by him. Maybe even fancy him a bit, like a child. You're not in love with him, you can't be. That would be stupid." Maya spoke as if she was reassuring herself, words quick and breathy.

"I said things to him when I was drunk, things I only meant to think to myself, things I didn't want him to know. And then I kissed him. He kissed me back. That means something, doesn't it? If he didn't feel something for me, he wouldn't have kissed me back. And he wouldn't have saved my life. There's something in his eyes when he smiles at me, speaks to me, _looks_ at me. I know there is. He wants me like I think I want him. He makes me feel so very safe, and I know he tries to.

If he didn't feel something, _anything_ for me, he would have killed me, drank me blood, left me to die. He wouldn't have made an effort, would he?" Maya stared at Seras as the blonde rambled. "I just wish he wasn't so coy all the time, pretending he feels nothing for me. Pretending I'm nothing special to him. He says things, but his actions say things much different, much louder. He says he plans on killing me, which I honestly don't know if he's being serious about, but then he'll cuddle me as we sleep, run his hands over my thighs." Seras sighed, spinning and leaning her back on the counter.

"Seras, you sound insane."

"He wouldn't kiss me, laugh with me, listen to me, compliment me. He certainly wouldn't ask me to accompany him to a ball. Even more so, he wouldn't have just let me sleep last night, when he could have just taken advantage of me. This means he cares, at least a little bit. And that means he feels something for me. Doesn't it?"

"Please stop talking, you're going to make me ill." Seras snapped her head around, glaring at Maya. The woman truly _did_ look ill.

"Well it's not as if I can talk to _him_ about this."

"Do you love him?"

"Do I… love him? I… I'm not sure. I don't really know what love feels like. I might." _I truly think I might. I love Vlad._ She played with the words in her head, seeing if they sounded right, felt right. _I love him. I am in love with Vlad... Am I?_

She smiled. "I am."


	7. Uninvited Guest

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ Hey guys, sorry for the delay! This chapter just wouldn't upload for some reason. I guess there was a problem in the type of file it is, but I'm not sure how I fixed it. Anyway, here it is! Chapter 6! Ta-da! Also, I am now enrolled in several college classes! I'm taking psych, sociology, and english (duh)! Congrats, me!

* * *

"Is this really necessary?" Seras blew strands of hair from her face as Maya attempted to put it up. There were still hours before Vlad said they were to leave, but Maya insisted on torturing the young girl.

"Yes. You need to look presentable."

"Am I not ordinarily presentable?" _How rude._ Seras hissed as the woman pulled at her hair. She pulled away from the vampire's grip and turned to her, pulling pins and clips from her head. "I'm done. I don't care if I'm not 'presentable'. I'm not changing the way I look- especially not if it's _this_ painful."

"But your hair is so straight and boring! Come now Seras, just let me put it up a little bit. Move some of that hair from your face?" The blonde shook her head out, putting the strands back in place over her forehead, longer ones resting on her cheekbones.

"No! My hair is fine. I'm fine. I look fine," Seras grabbed Maya by the shoulders, "Everything is fine!" Maya narrowed her eyes.

"Just let me move that piece-"

"Stop." The woman sighed, turning away from Seras and Seras let go.

"Fine. You can keep on looking like a plain peasant, but don't come home running to me, crying about how they all looked down on you." The girl laughed.

"Everybody has always looked down on me. It doesn't bother me any." Maya glared at her before huffing and stalking out of the room. Seras giggled softly at the woman's display of petty anger before sighing herself and walking over to the bathroom to peer into the mirror.

Her hair was frizzy and big from the past thirty minutes of attempted primping. She sighed and ran her fingers through it, dropping the clips to the ground. She took a few seconds to fix it the way she liked it. Upon further inspection, she did come to the conclusion that her hair was slightly boring. Looking down past her feet to a pin on the ground, she picked it up and decided to pin some hair behind an ear. _Simple, yet different. How can you go wrong?_

She smiled at herself. Having already taken a quick bath, she decided to go and get dressed in the night's clothing. She still knew nothing about where she was going, and anxiety pushed through her chest. Though she wasn't one to often fall victim to nervousness, she was a bit uneased by the thought of being placed into a room full of not only nobles, but _vampire nobles._ She wasn't so much worried for herself, but for Vlad. She was worried she might embarrass him, or make him look bad in front of his subjects. He had reassured her that she would do fine, that she couldn't possibly embarrass him, but she wasn't so sure. He had never even seen her at a party. Granted, the only one she had ever been to, she had snuck into, but even that one she had made a fool of herself at.

She was glad, however, that the dress Wren got for her wasn't much different from what she liked to wear typically. It was a gorgeously plain dress, a satin black gown, length nearly longer than her own. It was beautiful as it laid on the bed, but she had no idea what it would look like on her body. It almost seemed as though her chest might be too big for it, but as she sighed, she picked it up. She felt the smooth fabric.

With her clothing peeled off, she slipped into the gown, one leg at a time. The long cut on her damaged leg seemed to simultaneously sigh at the soft feeling of the gown, and scream at the sensation of clothing rubbing against it. As it slipped over her body, she wiggled in it, setting it correctly on her curves.

She knew she was going to look attractive, and maybe even scandalous, but she didn't care. She never really cared about things being said about her. "No doubt some of those ladies will be wearing much more revealing outfits than me. But I'll still look better." She smiled and reached her arms over her head to button the back up. She walked back over to the mirror and found that the dress did take to her every curve, highlighting each asset of her body. The dress stopped just at her ankles, making her look much taller than she actually was. She was grateful for it, being as short as she was. In comparison to Vlad though, she would still look like a child.

Fully dressed and ready for the night, she fell onto the bed, nearly slipping off of the smooth bed. The door opened but she kept her eyes shut.

"Well I'm glad to see you're ready. Most women take ages to get dressed."

"And just how many women have you witnessed getting dressed?" Seras smirked at Vlad and he grinned.

"Do you really want to know?" The smirk fell from her lips and she looked away.

"No." His deep laugh flowed through the room and she felt weight dip into the mattress. "Why haven't you told me anything?"

"About what?" Fingers brushed through her hair.

"Where we're going? What to expect? Anything, really."

"Hmm… I suppose," his voice was slow and thoughtful, "that may be because you will find all that out once we get there."

"So I am supposed to stew in a constant state of ignorance whenever we are to do something together?"

"Exactly." Seras sighed lightly.

"That can't be healthy."

"You're going to have scars." She looked up to him, confused. He placed a hand on her shoulder, lightly brushing his fingers over the healing wound.

"Oh…" She watched his hand, best she could, for a moment before smiling cheerily. "I don't mind. I like them. They always have stories behind them, history. I happen to find scars to be beautiful." The vampire next to her chuckled lightly before removing his hand.

"Seras… You truly _are_ a captivating creature; I hope you know that." She felt her chest tighten at his words, a quick fluttering pushing through her core before she laughed it away. Her blush remained, the pink tint stinging her cheeks. She sat up, leaning her head on his large shoulder. She felt him tense, muscles jumping before relaxing once more. Laying a hand on his thigh, she spoke.

"Trust me, I know. I mean, honestly, who could resist my charm?" They both laughed, his deep one merging harmoniously with Seras' smooth trill. She looked up into his eyes, the crimson orbs overflowing with softness. She smiled widely before her grin softened. She moved her hand from his thigh, moving his arm and slipping under it.

Vlad went with her movement, wrapping his arm around her waist gently, pulling her close to him. He sighed in contentment, Seras' head rising and falling with his chest. Her fingers danced along his collarbone, teasing the exposed skin. She focused on the feeling of it, how rough yet soft it was all at the same time. Vlad's fingers did a dance of their own on her waist.

"I certainly can't resist it."

"Really? I think you do a fairly good job at it."

"Is that so?" Seras nodded. "Well, then you must not pay very good attention, now, darling." Though she knew he was teasing her, the term of endearment still sent subtle chills down her spine.

"Did Sebastian already leave?"

"Mm."

"Oh. Does he like me? I feel as though he doesn't."

"Why? Are you interested in him?"

"Well, he's not the one that I kissed, now is he?"

"No, I suppose not." He paused a moment before continuing. "Yes, he is quite fond of you. A bit too fond of you." She smiled.

"But he doesn't even know anything about me."

"I'm sure I've told him enough." Her head snapped to him.

"You… You talk about me?" She smiled slowly as his face froze.

"Not often." She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure." He glared at her before moving from her body. He laid down on the bed, leaving Seras sitting.

She followed his action, crawling up to lay next to him. They lay side by side, and she decided to wriggle her hand into his own. His hand immediately opened, fingers intertwining with her own. _I didn't expect that._ Though she didn't expect it, she enjoyed it and placed her head against his arm.

"I wish I knew what you were thinking all the time."

"Funny, whenever I feel like that, I just read your thoughts."

"Sadly, I don't have that ability."

"Perhaps you will, someday." She blinked slowly, sighing.

"Perhaps I will."

* * *

They wasted time by teasing each other and speaking of unimportant things. When the time came for them to leave, Vlad rose and brought Seras with him, their hands still connected.

"We should leave, unless you want to make a scene upon entering."

"Oh, god no. Let's go." She slipped on her shoes and they left the room.

Seras walked behind him for several minutes, before he commented on it.

"Why do you always walk behind me?"

"I don't want to get lost." He looked behind him.

"Truly?" He laughed and she glared.

"Yes." She quickly walked up to his side and hit him. He placed an arm around her shoulder, keeping her from retreating back behind him.

"Well, I prefer this."

They slowly made their way to the front doors, Seras locked tightly in his grip. "Shouldn't you be dressed better? It is a ball."

"Do you not think I look fine?"

"You're not dressed much differently from usual."

"Ah, that's because I _always_ dress well. I am a king." Seras laughed as he smiled down at her.

"So, what, no armor tonight?"

"No, I don't think that would be very comfortable to dance with, do you?"

"You plan on making me dance? Good luck."

"Do you not know how?"

"Not exactly."

"It's good for you that I happen to be an amazing teacher then, isn't it?"

"Is that so? And just who has told you that?"

"Well… Nobody, but, you could be the first." He took his arm from her to open the door. As they walked outside, Seras heard Maya and Wren arguing, some other voices included. She walked quicker than Vlad, making her way to a large carriage, several horses whinnying and moving as servants connected them to the vehicle.

"What is happening?" Maya and Wren stopped arguing and turned to her, smiling.

"We're just getting everything ready for you two. You're not wanting to leave… now, are you?" Wren's smile widened awkwardly as he spoke. Seras rose an eyebrow, face taking on a mask of confusion.

"Well, yes, I do believe that was Vlad's intention." The red-headed vampire stepped forward.

"Oh, don't worry, we're nearly done. Go on, you can go inside if you'd like."

"This… this is for us?" She felt something ruffle her hair and looked up to find Vlad walking forward.

"Of course it is. Can't risk ruining that gorgeous dress on a horse, can we?" He walked over to the servant fastening the reigns on a rowdy horse. "Move." His voice was gruff and demanding, and the young boy moved out of the way quickly. Within an instant, Vlad had calmed down the horse and secured it to the carriage. Seras smiled softly, the oddest sense of pride blooming in her chest. Maya and Wren looked between each other before moving out of the way of the carriage doors.

As Seras walked forward, Wren opened the door and helped her in. "I've never been in a carriage," her voice was quiet and timid, a slight brush of fear crawling through her.

"It'll be alright," Maya's soft voice comforted Seras as she sat on one side of the carriage's seats. "You look beautiful, Seras. Be careful." Seras looked to the woman as she smiled softly towards her. The girl nodded.

"Yeah, you look really, really stunning. Amazing. Beautiful. Absolutely intoxicat-" Wren's words were cut off as a hand hit the back of his head.

"Shut up." Vlad pushed Wren out of the way and took a seat across from Seras. She laughed despite herself as Wren made a face, mocking his master. Vlad looked at her questioningly before she covered her face.

"Thank you," she mumbled toward Wren and Maya. Maya nodded and Wren turned to walk away. The woman stepped forward however, and whispered to Seras.

"Be very careful, all right? Don't trust anybody, and be on your guard. Don't do anything stupid." Seras nodded. Maya smiled once more before closing the carriage doors and leaving Vlad and Seras alone.

Vlad looked up from his nails that he was inspecting to look to Seras. "You know, Wren was right. I think I may have to make sure men know their place around you."

"You think I look good enough to entice more than one vampire? That's good for my ego." Seras smiled but gasped as the carriage started to move. Vlad laughed as she gripped the seat in sudden fear.

"Would you like to sit on my lap? It might be safer for you." Glaring at the chuckling vampire, Seras regained her composure.

"I am perfectly fine over here, thank you." The carriage jumped suddenly and Seras was flung into the air several inches before landing roughly back onto the seat. She caught her breath, listening to Vlad's mocking laughter. "As I said," she crossed her legs, "perfectly fine." The man smiled, the crinkling around his eyes adding to his handsome features. Seras smiled back sheepishly before sliding over to a window. She pushed the short linen drapes out of the way and looked out.

* * *

Trees and lush nature passed by for minutes and miles, and Seras stared in silence. She felt Vlad's eyes on her the entire time, but waited for him to speak. He never did, so she never did either. The sky turned bright shades of pink, blue, faded purple, until the hazy sun fully set behind mountains. The stars shimmered shyly in the sky, constellations taking up all of her focus. Suddenly a thought came to her mind.

"Who is directing the horses?"

"One of the younger servants… Edmond or Edward or something of the like." Seras hummed in response.

"Are we close?"

"Yes, just a few minutes now."

"Great," Seras muttered as she sat back in her seat. She turned to Vlad to see him staring at her. He appeared to be studying her, and Seras didn't understand why. "What are you looking at?" Vlad seemed to be snapped from a daze and cocked his head.

"Whatever do you mean?" A smile grew on her face.

"You were staring at me."

"Was I? Hm." He looked away from her, breathing deeply. Seras was confused, and wondered what he was thinking of, but pushed the thought away. _I've been doing that a lot lately, haven't I? Just… forgetting and letting things go. I suppose there's not much I can do about these things anyway. Oh well. I do wonder, though…_

The carriage stopped soon after, the two still silent. Seras looked around the interior of it, eyes wide and open for something to happen. She could see the dark outline of her reflection in her date's eyes, her own seemingly doe-like. Vlad smiled subtly, the corners of his lips curling as he fought to conceal it.

The door to the carriage opened and Seras looked out to see the shiny sky. She looked from the sky to the nicely cobbled ground and sighed quietly. From what she saw, the fraction of her surroundings, it certainly seemed that Lady Evianna was well off. In the blink of an eye, Vlad was standing outside of the carriage with his hand outstretched. Seras stared for a moment, confused.

"Are you going to make me wait here forever?" He moved his hand once more, closer to the girl, and Seras blushed. She laughed her blush away and took ahold of his hand.

She hopped out, landing softly on the stone ground. She stood next to Vlad as he spoke to the servant he brought to drive them. She looked around them to find a gorgeous chateau sitting close by. She marveled in its beauty, plants and vines growing gracefully up the sides of it. A finely groomed garden was surrounding it, green bushes and vermillion roses blossoming. The moon hung over the highest peak of it, illuminating the grounds in ghostly light. Lamps were lit along the stone path, not as though they were required, what with the bright natural light. Slow music swam into her ears, faint as it was.

She fought to keep her jaw from dropping. Though Vlad's home was much more extravagant and lavish, the beauty of this one still shocked her. Other carriages lined the path, and it seemed as though many people were invited. She felt her heart pound harshly deep inside her chest, breath catching at the thought of being surrounded by so many people, much higher in status than she. The fact that they were all inhuman creatures didn't scare her so much as the other fact, and she felt some strange sense of irony in it.

She felt her arm behind tugged and was snapped back to the present time to see Vlad starting to walk forward. She followed. "So, since you're the king, people have to treat you a certain way?"

"Unless they want to die."

"Does that mean that since I'm accompanying you, that they have to treat _me_ the same?" Vlad chuckled, looking down at Seras as she questioned him.

"Oh, indeed. If anybody has the nerve to treat you like a commoner, I'll gut them." With every word, his grin widened.

"Oh will you? How kind!" Seras couldn't hold back her laughter, pushing herself against him playfully. "Just make sure not to get blood on my dress."

"It's much easier to wash out than you may think."

"Oh lord." They finally made their way to the main doors, two huge slabs of shiny wood. The doors were manned by two burly men, near rivalling Vlad's size. Vlad never stopped walking, and the men opened the door quickly, eyes avoiding Vlad but lingering on Seras. She gave a sheepish smile, looking down to get away from their eyes.

Her head lifted as soon as they entered. Dim, romantic lights filled the entire chateau. Seras' eyes almost had to strain, but she slowly adjusted to the dimness. The music was louder, but the room they were in, _the foyer I think,_ was empty. Seras looked quickly to her companion.

"Do you know where to go?"

"Of course I do. I've been in Evianna's home many a time." She cocked her head quickly, head becoming hot. She chuckled humorlessly before pulling her hand from his.

"Is that so?" Her voice was more bitter than she had hoped, but Vlad didn't seem to notice.

"Mm. I just wanted to wait for a moment; prepare myself for the inane prattle of both drunk and sober men trying to get in good with me. Not to mention the whores throwing themselves… Oh, have I said something?" Seras could feel her cheeks burning harsher now, her jaw open and face blank. She hid back her jealousy as best as she could, but Vlad's laughter made it rise higher. "Are you jealous, Seras? How adorable! That's positively charming."

"I'm not _jealous_ of anything, you damn arrogant bastard! Christ, you're so pompous and full of yourself. Not everything is about you, you know! I wasn't even listening to you, so there." Seras huffed as her words fly from her lips, both hands now held in Vlad's as he grinned down at her. He pulled her closer to him and movement behind him caught her eye. There was a couple, a man and a woman, staring on in amused awe. They were clearly nobles, dressed in glamorous garb.

"Well, well, well! Did my King just get scolded by a little girl? A human, at that?" Vlad's eyes left Seras' after a moment as he turned to face the voice. "Are you going soft?"

"Why don't you try, Gabriel? I'm sure you won't get as far." The man, Gabriel, laughed and walked forward, the woman following. "And you've brought a date? Or a meal?"

"Oh, she's much too bitter for me. She's better as a body to sleep next to." The woman gasped and hit Gabriel roughly. "I wasn't being serious, bloody hell." The woman shook her head, blonde curls falling around her face. Her face took on a calmer mask as she breathed in deeply. She turned to Seras, smiling pleasantly. As Seras looked into her red eyes, she could have sworn she saw something akin to hunger among the happiness.

"Why don't you introduce us, sire?" The woman smiled from Seras to Vlad as she wrapped her arm around Gabriel's. Vlad sighed before nodding.

"This is my… companion, Seras Victoria. Seras, this is Sinead Turner," he let go of one of her wrists to motion toward the pretty blonde. He then went to introduce Gabriel, but the man moved forward and took ahold of Seras' free hand. He brought it to his lips to place a soft kiss on the skin, sending sudden shivers down her spine. Gabriel looked up into her eyes from her hand and he spoke against her flesh.

"And I, _my lady_ , am Gabriel Beaumont. It is quite the pleasure to be in the presence of such a lovely woman." Seras was frozen as she looked into his eyes. He rose, licking his lips. She heard Vlad cluck his tongue and looked to him, seeing him staring at Gabriel with narrowed eyes. Gabriel turned to him and smiled. "She truly is a _delicious_ creature, isn't she?" Seras cleared her throat quickly before speaking.

"It's very nice to meet you both." She smiled towards both Sinead and Gabriel before Vlad spoke, still looking at Gabriel.

"Well, now that you've all been acquainted, why don't you two go ahead inside? You did come here for the ball, I assume." The bitter edge in his voice caught Seras' attention, but the two other vampires didn't seem to notice anything odd.

"Oh, yes, Gabriel, I don't want to seem late. Let's go," Sinead smiled at Seras, fangs shimmering in the light. Gabriel took one last long stare at Seras before walking away with the woman. Seras turned back to Vlad.

"What's the matter?" He looked down to her.

"What do you mean? Nothing's the matter." _Liar._

"You seem upset."

"You seem confused."

"I'm not confused."

"Obviously you are if you think something is the matter. Come on, let's go in."

"Wait." Seras held onto his arm, pulling him back. "I'm… I'm nervous." Vlad's face softened immediately, his lips taking on a sweet smile.

"I can tell. Your heart is beating extraordinarily fast. But why?" She looked around the glamorous foyer, collecting herself.

"What if I do something wrong? Embarrass you, or myself? Make somebody angry or, or… I've never done something like this. I don't know what to do." Fingers brushed her cheek, resting underneath her chin. They brought her head up, making her look into Vlad's eyes as he spoke to her.

"You're an idiot." _Oh. And here I thought he was going to be romantic. Of course not, Seras, don't be hopeful._ "There is absolutely nothing you could do that would embarrass me. I've already told you this. Just be yourself… But try not to insult anybody, please. I don't think I feel like saving your life tonight." Seras laughed, despite her anxiety. Vlad brought his face close to hers, so close their lips brushed when he spoke once more. "I have complete faith in your ability to be an absolute fool… But, I also have complete faith in your ability to do what you do best."

"And what is that?"

"Take my breath away." As a fluttering sprung free in her chest, she raised herself on her toes and pressed her lips to his. He didn't pull back as she expected him to, instead pushing into the kiss.

Their lips mingled for a moment, her hot ones warm and needy enough to melt his frozen ones. When they pulled apart, Seras sighed deeply, eyes opening slowly. "So are you ready to go in?"

"No. But I will." She smiled at Vlad, finding his face to be filled with contentedness and longing. _At least I think that's what I see. Or maybe he just longs to get away from me._

"Alright." Vlad wrapped his arm around Seras' waist, directing her towards a pair of doors further down the foyer. The doors were seemingly pushed open by nothing, not a hand, nor arm. They just opened as Vlad and Seras neared them. _Perhaps it's… Magic? A vampire-kind of magic._ They entered the ballroom.

* * *

The whole room seemed to still as they walked inside, eyes and heads turning to the pair. Seras looked on to find that most, if not all faces, were doused in a layer of confusion. She turned to Vlad to find that he looked unimpressed. He walked her over to a table where crimson beverages were sitting in crystal glasses. He picked one up and sipped from it. He let go of Seras. She stared at the liquid filling the glasses.

"Is that blood?" Vlad nodded.

"Want to try?" He moved the glass close to her face, moving the glass in a small circular motion. Seras furrowed her brow for a moment before smiling and raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Vlad's teasing grin fell and the small blonde took the opportunity to pull the glass up to her mouth. She tipped it, warm, thick liquid pouring into her mouth. The metallic taste of blood wasn't unfamiliar to her, but the quantity in which was filling her mouth was nearly suffocating. It overwhelmed her senses and she fought back the urge to cringe. It was an odd feeling, the thick blood slimy and sharp tasting. She swallowed, the warmth trailing down her throat. The taste remained in her mouth, and as the blood flowed down her body, she found herself becoming more acquainted with the taste of the fluid.

Vlad looked as though he were in the thralls of euphoria, his mouth open slightly and eyes nearly glazed over. She smiled and let her hand fall from the glass in his. He brought it back to himself. "Well, as different an experience as that was, I don't think I'll take to drinking more blood tonight." She watched on as Vlad bit his lip subtly, inhaling sharply.

"More for me then," he said quietly. At this moment, Seras didn't care about the eyes she felt on her, the murmurs she knew must have been about her display. All she cared about was teasing her companion, seeing how far she could push him. Being around so many people made her want to show off her relationship with Vlad, perhaps make a few people jealous.

She felt her body thrumming, partly from the look Vlad gave her, and partly from her remaining anxiety. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a voice.

"Vlad! I'm positively ecstatic that you chose to come to my little gathering." Seras found that the voice belonged to a gorgeous woman. Long, dark hair fell effortlessly past her shoulders, soft waves throughout. The woman was tall, much taller than Seras. A flirty smile played on the woman's blood-red lips, her matching eyes lusty and wide. The woman smiled wider as her dark eyes made their way to Seras, ivory teeth showing. She cocked her head, placing a hand on her hip. "And you've brought me a snack! How generous, really."

Seras gasped quietly and looked to Vlad quickly, her own hair nearly blinding her in the process. Vlad was silent for a moment, as if thinking of something to say. Instead of going on an angry tirade, as Seras had expected, he simply wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to his chest. "The only lips her blood may touch are mine, Evianna. Not yours, nor anyone else's." Seras wriggled her way from his grasp and walked closer to the leggy brunette.

" _Her_ name is Seras. It's nice to meet you." The blonde put a hand out, but when Evianna ignored it, she brought it back hesitantly. "You have a beautiful home." The lady chuckled humorlessly, eyes narrowed as she looked down to her.

"I know I do. It's what wealth and power earns a person. Obviously, that's not something you're used to, judging by how positively plain you look. Really, Vlad, this is the best you can do? What is she, a peasant? I'm much better if all you want is something to eat." Seras' teeth bit down hard on her bottom lip and she forgot to breath, dislike growing bigger and bigger for the woman with every acid-dipped word flowing from her ruby lips. _If it's a fight she wants, it's a fight she'll get._ She stepped forward. _I hope this doesn't backfire._

"Now, _Evianna, is it?"_ Seras paused, allowing the woman to nod pompously. "Well, you may be beautiful, and quite possibly more beautiful than I, but the words that you push from your mouth are rather ugly. I don't know who you think I am, but one thing I'm not, is threatened by idiotic women who want something they don't have and simply cannot attain. And I assure you; _I am not._ You should be kind to me! I'm really not the right person to make an enemy of… Especially not with _him_ on my side. Besides, you're a lady! Act like one. It's much more charismatic than acting like a little brat." Seras held back laughter as the vampire's eyes opened wide, jaw clenched in anger. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I strike a chord? I apologize, I was simply standing my ground." Evianna sputtered for a moment before finding words to respond.

"This is _my_ home! I refuse to be disrespected in my own home, and by a filthy human at that!"

"Well, if I'm a filthy human, you're nothing but a wealthy corpse."

"How dare you?" Seras noticed Evianna's hands ball into fists at her side, whispy black tendrils flaying at her feet. "How **dare** you? You think you can speak to me like that? I am above you. You are nothing to me!"

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself? Or perhaps the rest of your guests? Either way, it doesn't really matter. I'm something to Vlad, and I think that's all that really matters in this case."

"I should rip you apart." Fire ran throughout the brunette's eyes, her anger making her even more beautiful.

"What you _should_ do is calm down. You're making a rather impressive scene." A deep chuckle came from Seras' right, and she recognized it as Vlad's. Evianna seemingly remembered his presence and walked to him, pointing at Seras as she spoke.

"What are you doing? Just letting her disrespect me? In my home? Sir, she wasn't even invited! She doesn't have to be here!"

"And what exactly is your point?"

" _Keep your damned bitch on her leash or you won't have her anymore, that is my fucking point!"_ each word escaped her lips in rough growls, eliciting several loud gasps from the audience watching on. Seras wasn't as bothered by the interaction with the woman, even though she thought she should have been.

Vlad breathed in deeply, setting the glass in his hand down from where he got it. He stretched slightly, eyes closed until they opened slowly a moment later. He clucked his tongue before laughing. He leaned down to Evianna, inches from her face as he spoke. "Are you commanding me?" The woman's eyes opened wide, her angry stance melting down to one of submissive fear.

"N… No, I just-"

"Have you forgotten who rules you? Because I would be happy to show you who you answer to. Mind your place or you shall have it no more, do you understand me? Your petty anger is pathetic, though amusing." The woman seemingly whimpered an apology, though Seras heard no words, only saw the movement of her lips. "No, I'm afraid, that's not good enough. By disrespecting _my Seras,_ you are disrespecting me. You know what happens to those who do so, correct? You're an idiot, Evianna. This may be your home, but I am the one who made it possible for you to acquire it, remember?" The woman nodded. "Good! Then you should have absolutely no qualms with Seras' presence in it.' He rose to move and face the crowd. "This not only goes to you, but to all of you. Seras is mine. You shall treat her with the exact respect and reverence as you do me. If anybody thinks, says, or does something I don't like in regards to her, they shall be punished, _severely._ Once more, she is mine. Oh! And, if you touch her," he paused for a moment, "you'll die."

Seras watched on in awe as Vlad defended her publicly. _Nobody has ever said those things, defended me in such a way. He called me_ _ **his**_ _. Does that mean he loves me as well? Or does he mean it in a more literal way? Technically I am his possession, he does own me. But he would never take advantage of it. I'm positive. He is so amazing. But why did I feel such a need to speak to Evianna in the way I did? That's unlike me. Well, not quite. But it usually takes throwing hands to make me be so sassy. I just don't like her, that's it. She thinks she has a right to Vlad. She doesn't._

Vlad turned to Seras and smiled. "That's satisfactory, no?" Seras chuckled and nodded, smiling herself. "Fantastic. Now, how about you all pretend we're not even here and go back to your own business, hm?"

As if a flip were switched, the ballroom came back to life, people continuing their dances and conversations. Vlad walked back to Evianna and grabbed the glass he had sat down. He tipped it in her direction, giving her a smug smile. She looked up at him like a chastised child, before looking to Seras with fury in her eyes. "Don't worry, my liege. I'll take care around your little _pet._ "

Vlad acknowledged her with a quiet 'good' before she made her way away to the another woman in the crowd. Seras looked back to Vlad and he came close to her. "Though you didn't embarrass me, you did manage to make quite the scene." His smirk gave away the light heartedness of his statement.

"It's a talent of mine. How do you manage to stay so calm all the time? Certainly people talk to you the same way she talked to me, at least sometimes." He nodded, taking a drink.

"Indeed they do. But it never manages to end well for them."

"It seemed to go well for _her_."

"Oh, no. She knows she's on my bad side now." Vlad leaned in close, as if telling a secret. "The element of fear is the best power you can hold over another being. Remember that."

"I don't think I managed to scare her very much."

"Ah, but you did. Her mind was reeling at your words, at your boldness. In her own home, insulting her? Berating her? The _nerve!_ No, I don't think she was completely _afraid_ of you, per se, but taken aback by your actions. She was afraid of the fact that you didn't fear her. It's not common to find a human that doesn't fear for their life in the presence of a vampire, especially a noble. Afraid of the fact that you treated her as though you were equal, which she obviously doesn't believe.

Furthermore, it frightened her that you didn't fear _me._ Only the bravest of souls, or stupid of souls, don't fear me. I haven't met very many people like that, and Evianna, well, she's met even less who didn't hold fear for the great king." He embellished his title with a smooth flow of his wrist.

"Is she always such a… a…"

"A cunt?"

"Yes. Is she?"

"Oh, most definitely. Don't concern yourself with her too much though. She eventually backs down from competition once she realizes she's lost." Seras raised an eyebrow.

"Competition?"

"That's how she sees you. Even though you're a human, she sees you as competition; another woman who may rise through the ranks of vampiric nobility to quite possibly outrank her. In my opinion, there is no competition. But if there was, you would have already won. There's no comparing you two. You're much better in every way." Seras felt herself begin to blush at his compliment, though she was sure he hadn't meant it to be one.

"I'm not quite sure I agree. Or that anybody else in this room would agree. Are you sure nobody is going to try to drink my blood?"

"I told them not to, didn't I?" She shook her head for a moment.

"But they aren't your children."

"Well, in a sense they are. Everybody in this room has my blood running through their veins, no matter how diluted it may be. Aside from you, of course."

Seras took that into consideration as she watched couples dance to the music playing in the room. Expensive looking gowns swung around, grand hairstyles falling and swinging as women were dipped by their men. She watched on, standing next to Vlad in silence until he sighed and moved in front of her. She cocked her head, furrowing her brows. He held a hand out to her.

"Care for a dance, lady Seras?" Seras snorted a laugh and he grinned at her.

"Do not call me 'lady', please."

"As you wish. But you still haven't answered me; would you like to dance?" Seras took his hand.

"Out there?" She pointed to the dancefloor with her free hand. He nodded. "I don't know how."

"It's a simple dance." The song changed, then, moving on from the quick paced song to a slow one. She laughed as he pulled her onto the floor, putting a hand on her waist. With his other, the one holding hers, he raised it up past her shoulder. "Put your hand on my shoulder." She did. "Now, just follow my movements. It _is_ simple, just don't think about it very much."

"So, what, I'm just supposed to _do,_ and not _think_?" He nodded as he started to move his feet. Seras followed his moves, pushing her face into his chest so that he wouldn't see her nervous blush. With her cheek on his chest, she could have sworn she felt a heartbeat. Deep, strong, steady… pounding away in his chest, throughout him, _throughout her._ She was entranced by it, having assumed his heart couldn't beat since he was a vampire. She almost didn't notice when his hand tailed farther down her back, resting right above her bottom. She did notice when his head nuzzled hers, his lips brushing against her ear. He whispered into it.

"Seras, you're perfect." She pushed her face harder against his chest. "I want you to stay with me forever." She nodded against him.

"I will."

"Swear it. Swear you'll never leave me… I want to hear it."

"I'm going to stay with you forever, Vlad." She looked up to see his eyes. They were half open, but filled with longing and softness. She gave a small smile. "I will." He smiled back, and Seras felt him pull her closer to him.

"And I, you." He took his hand from hers and stopped dancing. He lifted her face up to his and placed his lips upon hers.

They kissed deeply, passionately. The warmth of both mouths mingling with the other. Seras moved her arms to wrap around his neck, holding herself up, afraid she might collapse from the fluttering she felt. She kissed him hard, pressing her lips roughly against his. His hands rested upon her lower back, holding her to him.

She felt her own body vibrating as the surroundings faded out. All sound aside from the pounding in her ears from her heart was drowned out. _I don't want this to ever end. Is this even real? I must be dreaming._ But reality hit her hard when she felt something sharp push through her flesh. _What?_ Her lips slipped from Vlad's as blood started to drip from them. Her lungs locked up, and she opened her eyes to find Vlad staring at her. _That's the first time I've seen fear on his face._

Seras fell to her knees, pawing at her stomach instinctively. She looked down to find her hands covered in crimson. She felt a whimper fly from her throat as she fell back, head hitting the ground. Her eyes fought to stay open as pain shot through her nerves. She heard yelling and focused all her energy on understanding it.

"I will not allow you to take a human girl!" _A woman._

"So you decide to kill her? I will never understand you humans!" _That's Vlad. He sounds so angry. Am I dying?_

"It's the only way to ensure that her soul will go with god!"

"How dare you? This goes against our treaty and you know it. Integra, you truly are a fool." Vlad's voice was lower, full of ferocity and a clear threat to the woman, _Integra? What kind of a name is that? She stabbed me to keep me from going to hell? Is that it?_

She felt herself being lifted and her head rolled back. Her eyes fluttered open and she could see that she was in Vlad's arms. "Let me go! Get your bloody shadows off of me!" Integra shouted, her voice strained.

"I'm going to kill you Integra. But Seras isn't going to die. You will, but my Seras won't. All you did was stab her. That's nothing! She's strong." Fingers stroked her face. She whimpered again, feeling nothing but pain throbbing through her core. She whispered, her voice harsh.

"It hurts so much. So much."

"I know, darling. Just close your eyes, and when you wake up, everything will be better." She did what he said. _I can't think about anything. Just the pain. It's not that bad. Christ, I'm going to have so many scars aren't I?_


	8. Aftermath

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ Heya guys! So, long time, no read, huh? Sorry, I tend to just lay around all summer. I had major writers block, but school starts up again next Monday so I should be updating more frequently. I'm also starting on my first actual novel! YAY!

* * *

Seras growled and writhed in strong arms. She could feel herself being lifted and held close to a cold body. She heard things, but she couldn't comprehend what they were. Here and there she could make out words, but nothing she could make any sense of.

"How dare you?" The gruff voice came from above her. _I know that voice._ Blood dribbled from her wound and into her hands. Her body moved of its own accord, hands pushing into her bloody stomach. She whimpered. The arms tightened.

"I'm simply saving her." She felt the movement stop and writhed around, body eager for rescue. She felt the body holding her breathing, the motion comforting to her head. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her teeth biting down on her lip. She felt tears on her face, _or is that blood? I'm bleeding, right?_ After several seconds, or minutes, or perhaps hours, Seras wasn't sure, the deep voice spoke again.

"This, Integra Fairbrook Hellsing," each word fell from his mouth slowly and bitterly, "is war." He sounded sure, absolute. Seras had half a mind to smile just at his assurance, though she wasn't quite sure _who_ he was.

In the few minutes since her attack, her brain had all but wiped itself clean of its memories. As she attempted to remember, to _think even,_ she felt herself swimming through her brain. As soon as she felt as though she was close to information, her arms grew tired again. She fell under the surface.

It was easier for her _not_ to think. To just go with the motions, go with the pain. And she did. Her breathing was heavy and she felt as though she were suffocating. She opened her eyes and met bright, blinding light. She blinked the sudden sharpness away and looked down to the resonating pain in her stomach.

Crimson stained the front of her dress, and she assumed the back as well. Her hands were wet and slick with the dark liquid. Blood had dried in spots, turning rust against her once ivory skin. Her eyes moved from the mess at her torso, and met the shiny armor of a man's arm. She whimpered, suddenly in desperate need of comforting. Her hand moved from the puddle pooling at her dress and towards the large appendage of the man. Her muscles were weak, her hand drooping and twitching. She nearly gave up until it fell onto his arm. She felt the arm tense, the man's stride slowing slightly before picking up again. As she concentrated, she could hear his heavy steps. Suddenly, a name came to her mind.

 _Vlad._ She smiled, even her lips twitching in pain. A pain wracked through her body, through her chest. She felt something come up her throat and couldn't stop herself. She coughed heavily, feeling warm liquid burst from between her lips. A metallic taste covered her tongue and she knew it was blood. It poured down her chin and drops landed on her cheeks. Her eyes started to fall again.

She whined, not wanting to sleep. She coughed once more, as she attempted to speak. The brightness of her surroundings faded to black and she felt herself go limp.

* * *

Vlad wasn't sure of what he felt. Just minutes earlier, he felt pleased, content, happy, even. And then, it was _ripped_ right away from him. Like he was afraid it would be. He had tried so hard to build up walls around them, once he figured out he wouldn't be able to build them _between them._ She made him feel such… amazing things. Things he wasn't even sure he could feel, would feel, _should feel._

He didn't deserve her. And she… She didn't deserve this. _I caused this,_ he thought as he held her in his arms. _This is my fault. I should have known better than to become… involved with her._ He stopped suddenly as he reached the main doors of the manor.

He could hear their whispering, back in the ballroom. He could practically feel the pride resonating from _her_ body. He wanted to tear her apart right there, but he knew better. If he acted on such thoughts, he would never make it in time to save his Seras. _My Seras…_ He chuckled humorlessly. Regrets and angry thoughts ran through his head like deer through wildflowers. His arms gripped her body tighter.

He had nearly jumped when he felt her hand on his arm. He hadn't even noticed that she had regained consciousness until she did that. It made no difference; she had lost it soon after. He wanted to speak to her, but he knew that even if she heard him, she wouldn't be able to reply. He'd sustained injuries far worse than hers, even as a human. _But then again,_ he thought, _so has she._

He leaned against the door and sighed. He looked down upon her small body. She was crumpled in his arms, stained and covered with blood. Her pale skin contrasted against the pools of blood. It had stained her fair hair, covered her dress… As he stood, he could feel her life draining from her body. Her heart was slowing, the scent of her blood filled the air.

He felt his mouth water, his teeth elongate in his mouth. His entire being screamed against his actions, wanting to fall against her and devour her. His chest ached, both with the guilt and pain of the situation, and with the intense need of her blood. The sweetness of it overcame his senses, and he felt a growl from deep within his throat. His nails dug into her soft flesh and he opened his mouth. He crouched down against the door, bringing her blood stained neck up to his mouth.

He inhaled sharply, air hissing between his teeth as he snapped his jaws shut. His body shook. Slowly, he allowed his tongue to escape his lips and brush the bloodied flesh. A moan escaped his throat, from deep in his chest. He pulled her body closer to his and continued lapping at her flesh.

She was sweeter than anything he'd ever had. Every drop fulfilled a desire that he didn't even realize he had. His tongue ran over her skin, and as he focused, he could feel her light heartbeat. Crimson eyes shot open with realization.

When he had been tasting her blood, he had lost himself in her. He had forgotten about what had happened, what he _needed_ to do. He stood and growled angrily at himself. A shrill voice called from behind him as he spun around and disappeared in a cloud of black shadows.

* * *

Vlad laid Seras' twitching body on the dining room table. He walked over glasses and bowls that he had thrown from the top of it. He phased angrily and quickly through walls, grabbing supplies and the attention of his servants. They called and spoke to him but he didn't listen, instead he grabbed what he needed. He laid all the supplies above her head. He listened to her heart for a moment before he gripped the neck of her dress. He focused as he ripped away the form fitting clothing, revealing her wound.

Wren and Maya watched on as their Master tore the young woman's stained gown. Wren kept calling out to the Vampire King, each shout becoming more and more frantic as he feared for her life. Suddenly, Vlad stopped tearing at her clothing and sighed, his hands falling to her sides, torn clothing balled in his fists.

"Let me work," was all he said. The calmness of the Nosferatu's words shocked Wren, chilling him to his core.

"She's not going to die, i-is she?" His Master didn't answer. He did, however, let go of her clothes. He pulled off his own coat, then his waistcoat, leaving him in nothing but a blood-spotted undershirt. He ran his hands through his long hair.

"Please, leave." His voice was even, not displaying the intense emotion flowing through his body. Maya immediately ran from the room, wanting to escape the heavy smell of blood. Wren followed soon after, afraid of the way his Master was acting.

Vlad returned his attention to the dying Seras. He knew that due to her injuries, he had three choices. _Of course, I could just let her die. Drink her blood, get something from this._ His own thought disgusted him. _No, I couldn't do that. So that makes two. I could try my best to save her human life. Though, it is unlikely that she will recover. But… She's strong. She could. And then, if all else fails, I could turn her. But would she want that? Oh, it doesn't matter, does it? It would give her life. I wouldn't lose her._ He had decided.

He reached above her head and grabbed the wet cloth he had prepared. He cleaned her body, gently around the wound so as not to rouse her. He avoided her chest, feeling the strangest sense of embarrassment when he thought of touching her there. Even the first time he had taken care of her wounds, he felt that little flutter in his stomach as well. _Odd,_ he thought, but payed no mind to it.

With each swipe of the dripping cloth, more and more of her skin was revealed from under its camouflage of blood. He felt his chest tighten up as he caught sight of the wound. He inspected it gently. It laid between her second and third rib, narrowly avoiding her spine. He was unsure if it had hit any major organs, but he suspected such, due to the blood-loss. Glad that her bones had been untouched, he went to work cleaning her wound.

The more he tried, the more she bled. He felt a subtle panic rising. Her heart had slowed to a light beating every few slow seconds. He sighed deeply and threw the cloth he had been using. He slammed a heavy fist down on the table, shaking her body. He cursed and rolled up his sleeves. As he lifted her light, limp body, he placed a gentle kiss on her cold, damp forehead. Her head rolled in his arms as he adjusted her. He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear.

"Seras, everything is going to be alright. I'm going to fix you. I need you. I need you with me."

Without giving any thought, he bit into her weak pulse.

* * *

Seras could feel herself floating. She knew she was dying, but she wasn't afraid. She was calm, more than anything. She was fine with it. Sure, she didn't _want_ to leave the world, to leave Vlad and the home, the family he had given her. She felt as though she belonged with him.

She loved him. He had been the first good thing she had ever had. _Hell,_ she thought, _at least I had that._ She smiled to herself as the darkness she was floating in moved farther over her body. It was cold, tingly, like light feathers over her skin. She rocked her head back and forth through the shadows, the sway of it giving her comfort.

She didn't remember when she had gotten into the shadows, or how long she was there, only what it meant. Suddenly, words flowed through it, like waves reaching her ears.

"Seras," it said, "everything is going to be alright." She opened her eyes and looked around for the source. "I'm going to fix you." She felt her strength returning, her curiosity overtaking her. "I need you." She furrowed her brow and the shadows below her became solidified. She rested her feet on them and began to walk. She looked to all sides of her, for the voice, until she noticed a dull red light in the distance. She walked towards it, the redness growing and brightening. "I need you with me."

The redness surrounded her.

* * *

His body vibrated with joy at consuming her, taking her life as his, branding her as his own. His mind fought against the feeling, the guilt at condemning her to a life such as his gnawing at him. The two sides of him fought as he drank from her. There wasn't much, and soon, he felt her heart stop. He slipped his teeth from her throat after he had drank her dry. He laid her down lightly and turned away from her.

His body hummed, his throat itching and needy for more of her, though there was none. He didn't want it to feel good, he didn't want to enjoy drinking from her, killing her. But he did. He hated himself for it, but he couldn't help it. He was a monster. _And now I've just doomed Seras to the life of a monster as well. What have I become? What have I cursed her to become?_ He punched the stone wall once, twice, three times until there were holes in the thick slabs. He screamed.

"This isn't how I wanted to do it, Seras!" he muttered to himself. "I wanted it to be perfect, I wanted _you_ to _want_ it. I'll kill her, Seras. I swear to you," he was over her body now, a hand cupping her cheek. "I will get my revenge. Even if I have to destroy every single _pathetic_ human to get it. I will get it, I promise this to you." He picked her up and took her to his bed.

* * *

 _She walked through the shadowy halls, confused and cold. She shivered against the rough fabric of her shawl, and she thought, 'I haven't had this in years… Where did I find it at?'_

 _As she turned with each coil of the halls, she couldn't help but look to the floor suddenly as she felt something brush against her exposed ankle. She yelped as she saw a black tentacle, seemingly made up of only shadows. She immediately jumped away from it, creating a distance between her and the wriggling appendage._

 _It followed her, slowly and menacingly. She felt her back reach something hard and solid, and she turned around, meeting hollow eyes in a sunken face. "What are you?" she asked the figure. She backed up as it raised an arm to point at her._

" _I know what_ _ **you**_ _are." She furrowed her brow._

" _What I am? W-what do you mean?" The scent of death radiated from the figure's body._

" _You're a vampire." Her eyes widened as she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down to see blood pouring and dripping from her body. She gasped and gripped at the wound, falling to her knees. She began slipping and sliding in the pool the wound had made on the ground. She tried to regain her balance but slipped and fell, her head falling on the hard floor. She laid there, her head throbbing and pain running through her body._

 _Then, she saw somebody, standing in front of her face. She rolled over onto her back to look up at the person. It was a man, long hair framing a strong face, crimson eyes shining in the shadows of the hall. She held out a trembling hand towards the man; just as it fell, he leaned down and caught it. A smile pushed its way through the pain she felt, and her eyes began to close. She felt safe._

* * *

Her eyes opened. She was gasping for breath, her hand clutching her once-wounded stomach. She felt panicked, and looked frantically around her surroundings.

She was in Vlad's room, laying right in the middle of the large bed. As she turned towards the door, she saw him sitting on a chair, his face resting in a hand. He was asleep, his eyes closed and face peaceful. He wore a blood-stained undershirt, the pale flesh of his hands seemingly stained with the liquid as well. She furrowed her brow, recollecting the night's happenings.

 _We were dancing, he held me close, then… then…_ She raked through her memories, but all she could remember was a sharp pain, and yelling, angry words. She quickly looked down to her clothing, assuming she had been injured. She had been stripped of her clothing and now wore a large white shirt. She blushed as she realized whose shirt it must have been, clutching one of the large sleeves. She lifted up the bottom of it, which rested mid-thigh, and inspected her stomach. She found no wound. She blushed harder, at the thought of who had undressed her. She pushed the thought away and stood.

Her stomach rumbled and she scratched her head, rubbing away sweat that had lingered from her odd dreams. She walked over to Vlad and tapped his nose. Red eyes opened wide and his head jerked up. As he met her eyes, she smiled and his eyes widened. He seemed unsettled before clearing his throat and standing.

"It's about time you woke up. I was beginning to lose faith." She laughed, high and musical.

"Oh, you know better than to do that. It seems I just can't die." He chuckled.

"It would appear so. Do you remember anything?" He faced away from her and walked over to the window. She cocked her head and sat where he had been.

"No, not really. What happened?" He visibly stiffened and sighed.

"You were… attacked, I suppose."

"Attacked?" She chuckled, not believing his words. "Why? And by whom?"

"Her name is Integra Hellsing. She tried to kill you because of your association with me." Seras' brow furrowed further.

"Hellsing? Who – why would she do that? How does anyone even know of me? Why try and kill me?"

"She believed she was _saving you_. I think she just happened to be there, looking for me, and found us both. She took her chance to feel like a hero."

"So, she _did_ hurt me? I don't have any wounds." Suddenly, she checked her shoulder. "It's healed? How? How has this happened?" Her voice was quiet as she felt the burning of hunger through her body again. Her brain clicked. "I _did_ die. You killed me. I'm… I'm like you now, aren't I?" Vlad sighed again. He turned around.

"Seras, believe me, I tried to keep you human. I did. But you were dying. I would have lost you, and I don't want to. So yes, I turned you. I won't apologize for it, if that's what you want." She shook her head.

"I don't feel any different."

"Are you hungry?" She looked up at him.

"Yes, but-"

"Then we need to feed you." She stood, shaking her head, blonde hair shaking.

"No, please, I don't need to." Vlad stopped walking towards her and smirked.

"You aren't… _afraid,_ are you?"

"No, I just… I don't want to kill somebody that hasn't done me wrong." He hummed.

"Now, that's the mentality you need to get rid of. You are no longer human; humans are food to you now." He came to her and stroked her cheek. "Get over it." She narrowed her eyes at him. She cocked her head.

"Are my eyes like yours?"

"No, they're still blue."

"Is that normal?"

"I wouldn't know." She sighed and felt the pain of hunger again, causing her to flinch. "Seras, you need blood, now." He felt an odd sense of contentedness in saying that, a small smile playing on his lips.

After several slow seconds of internal debate, Seras gave in. "Fine. I'll do it. But you have to help me." He grinned.

"Of course I'll help you! It would be a pleasure." As she looked into his face, she saw how _tired_ he looked. "But, first you might want to change into something less… revealing." She blushed angrily as she growled at him.

"You're the bastard that put this on me! Don't complain!" He arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm not complaining." She rolled her eyes and changed into a dress.

She had to admit, she felt better than before. No pain, other than the sudden bursts of hunger, and she felt completely rested.

 _Maybe this is a.. good thing, after all._


	9. Feeding

_**Ferne's Thoughts:**_ _Henlo! It is I, your fearless fanfiction writer, back at it again. I will be updating literally every chapter in this fic, polishing it and making it… better. So stay tuned- I've evolved as a writer in the past year. Let's get back to the news—oops, story._

* * *

When Seras had asked him to help her feed, his current situation wasn't exactly what he had in mind. hey stood together, arguing in light hisses, outside of a local tavern. It was, in fact, filled to the brim with humans filling themselves to the brim with the very best alcohol the local brewers could supply them with.

Vlad had chosen this place for several reasons, the most obvious one being that drunk humans were easier to procure than those aware of their surroundings. He had even been able to feed from somebody right in the middle of the tavern, with no interruption. It was simple, easy, and safe – exactly what his new fledgling required for a successful feeding.

Yet, despite his explanations of what she must do to survive, Seras continued to fight him on it. She stood before him now, blue eyes filled with agitation and hunger. His own were mirrored in her deep pools, filled with annoyance and losing their patience. "Dammit girl! You will go in there and you will feed!" he growled, not worrying about his voice among all of the noise from inside the tavern.

"I don't want to kill somebody! Can't I just… go find a deer or something? Wouldn't that work?" Her shoulders slumped as she pleaded.

"No, you idiot. That would _not_ work." He sighed. "The night grows old, Seras. You must eat now, it is imperative to do so within the first hours of your transformation."

"Oh, so you've done this before?" She suddenly stood straight, hand on her hip as she glared at him. "You've turned some other poor soul into a killer?"

"You were _already_ a killer!" he yelled. She huffed in response. "For God's sake, I'll go in there myself and get you something. How's that?" She turned away from him, towards the darkness of the fields surrounding the tavern.

"Whatever. I won't-"

"You will!" He pointed a finger down towards her face. "You _will_ , and you won't complain about it!" He stomped towards the doors, shadow growing longer as he grew closer to the orange light shining from under the heavy wooden doors. It had been four hours since she had been turned, and any regret he had felt in turning her had evolved into regret for turning her because she was so damn stubborn. He pushed hair back from his face, fingers aching to rip it out in his frustration.

It had been so long since he had last turned somebody, and even that was an accident. It was hard enough to learn how to care for a fledgling for the first time, and now he had to do it all again. His first one, however, wasn't as immediately aggravating as Seras was. Her stubbornness was oddly endearing to him, though. Annoying, but endearing. He cared for her, of course. That was probably why, he thought, as he focused on the task at hand. He entered the tavern, the loud sound of bustling humans and their drunkenness filled his ears.

He wanted to find somebody who wasn't _too_ drunk. He didn't need her drunk as well, but he would take what he could find. _Maybe,_ he thought, _I should just find somebody and glamour them? Perhaps that would be even simpler, easier for her first meal?_ He took a seat at the bar and looked out over the crowd of humans. Their heartbeats were nearly overwhelming, the heady sound of their pulses through their veins, thick with sickly sweet essence. He could smell their intoxication, their lust, their blood.

His eyes fell upon a young man sitting in the corner of the place, drink in hand and nervousness plastered upon his face. Vlad focused on him and found that he wasn't drunk at all. He entered his mind, and after pushing through the human's weak boundaries, he read his racing thoughts. The boy was there, waiting on a woman who was yet to show up. He was all alone. Defenseless. Perfect. A smile slowly spread across his face as he stood and walked over to his prey.

* * *

Seras stood out in the dark. It was nearly impossible to contain herself among all of the sounds surrounding her. She could hear every breath, every sigh, every thump of a glass hitting a table. The sheer greatness of every detail was making her sick. She began to breathe shallowly, feeling her body fall against the stone wall of the building. With her body in contact with the cool stone, she felt the shock of the energy run through her being. She quickly jumped away from the wall and sat on the ground.

Overwhelmed, she began to cry. She tucked her head into her legs and rocked back and forth, hot tears spilling down her chilled cheeks. The air she sucked into her lungs was both warm and cold at the same time. She looked towards the star-scattered sky and closed her eyes. Even the quiet twinkling of the stars overwhelmed her.

When she was fighting with Vlad, she hadn't even payed any attention to all of the… _world_ around her. She hadn't the time to. Now that she was alone, she couldn't _not_ pay attention to it. She was flying on another realm of consciousness, one she felt she couldn't handle. _How does he do it?_ She thought. _How does he live with all of this surrounding him?_ She laid down fully on the ground and wiped her tears. As she looked towards her now wet hand, she saw that her tears weren't tears at all. They were blood. She gasped at the revelation, and as she was about to wiped her blood-tears on her dress, something inside her cried out not to do so. Something cried out within her not to waste it. So she brought her hand to her mouth, tongue tentatively sliding across the red tips of her fingers.

As the blood touched her tongue, she immediately recoiled. It was unlike anything she'd ever tasted before. It didn't taste like the blood she'd tasted before. It tasted… multi-dimensional. She could taste both a sweetness and a bitterness within it. She had the sudden urge to bite into her own wrist and drink her own blood, the sudden urge to satiate her hunger with herself. _But that wouldn't work,_ she cried out in her mind. _I'd still be hungry, wouldn't I? Wouldn't it just… recycle back forever?_ She laid there, thinking of the intricacies surrounding drinking her own blood as the door to the tavern opened, lighting up her spot on the ground.

* * *

Vlad exited with the boy in tow. It was unsurprisingly easy to glamour such a vulnerable human. As he made his way through the doors, he found Seras laying on the ground, staring at her hand in deep thought. He approached her and got down on a knee to get closer to her. She had been crying, tears of crimson still wet upon her cheek.

"Oh come now," his voice low and silky as he spoke. "You certainly can't be that hungry, Seras." She turned to him with a small jump, seemingly unaware of his presence until he spoke. She stammered before sitting up, wiping the remnants of her tears from her cheeks.

"No, certainly not," she laughed lightly. Her eyes met his before reaching those of the young boy he'd brought out. A hungry growl ripped its way through her chest and she moved to attack, body taking her from the ground unwillingly. Vlad grabbed her by the shoulders and kept her in place where she stood, several feet between her and the dazed-looking boy.

"No," he said. "Not here. We bring him home and feed there, in safety." She sighed heavily in his hands, her body trying to push its way to sustenance.

"But-"

"I thought you wanted to eat a deer, Seras, not a human. Why are you so set on feeding from this young man right here and now?" he smirked. Her eyes narrowed as she looked into his and she took a deep breath. It took her some time to compose herself, as this was the first time she'd been in close contact to a human since she woke up.

Vlad understood this, and tried to remain patient. Once she was calm, he began to walk her to the black carriage they'd taken into the village. The boy walked behind them, unaware of his surroundings, feet moving as they were willed to. With Seras safely inside, Vlad followed. The boy came in after them, sitting directly opposite Seras. She tried to keep her gaze towards her feet, but they kept rising towards the boy.

Vlad raised his arm and draped it over the girl's shoulder, reminding her of his presence. She looked to him, and he spoke. "Once you have eaten, I will teach you some things about our kind. Things imperative for you to know now that you are a vampire." She nodded lightly, startled by the mention of her new identity. He was not looking at her, instead looking towards the distance.

"Alright. We don't _have_ to kill him, right?" Vlad chuckled at the innocence in her voice.

"He will die. Regardless of your desire to keep him alive, he will die."

"What do you mean?"

"Later, Seras. Besides, I'll be feeding from him as well. Being drained by two vampires is surely a death sentence, don't you think?" he grinned down at her and she felt a fluttering in her chest.

They continued, in rocky silence, as the horses neared the castle she now called her home.

* * *

Seras sat on the edge of the bed. She had taken it upon herself to undress and drape one of Vlad's large shirts over her body instead of her long dress. It was rather comfortable, and she did enjoy the looks it garnered from the man she shared the bed with. As he was speaking to her, she kept her eyes on the boy sitting on a chair across from them both. Well, when she wasn't sneaking glances towards Vlad's hand, sitting dangerously close to her exposed knee.

"Did you hear anything I just said, girl?" he said, voice flat and exasperated.

"Yes, yes. Bite, drink, blah, blah." Her head rolled from side to side in her desire to stop talking and start drinking.

"No, you must listen." He turned her body towards him, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Follow whichever pulse you find most pleasing. That may be the neck, or the wrist, to start off with. I suggest the neck, as it may be easier for you this time.

"You will bite deeply. Your teeth are certainly sharp enough to slice through flesh easily, so you must be careful not to… well, not to eat the boy." As an afterthought he added, "At least not tonight. We can do that another time if you desire it." She raised an eyebrow at his serious face. He continued. "Drink until you no longer desire it, until you are satiated. You must have self-control, Seras. Remember, we are sharing." He smiled gently towards her and she returned the sentiment. "Now," he said, rising from his seat next to her and walking towards the boy. "Come."

She did as he requested and stood at his side. "Where will you be feeding from?" he asked gently. She pondered the question and followed his advice.

"The neck, I suppose." He nodded and moved to the side opposite her, bending a knee to reach the boy's wrist. He pushed up the rough cloth of the boy's shirt, exposing a steadily beating pulse and pale skin.

"Now, follow my actions." She watched him as sharp ivory teeth pushed past delicate flesh and blood pushed through the wound. She licked her lips in anticipation and desire. Seras continued watching him drink for several more seconds before looking to her chosen place. She barely had to kneel down as she lowered her head towards the boy's jugular.

The smell of blood surrounded her, filling her senses as she tried to focus on the pulse beating infront of her face. She successfully focused on the pulse, heat radiating from it so invitingly. She came closer to the point and allowed her lips to brush against it, tongue darting out to feel it better. Her breathing grew labored and she allowed her teeth to pass her lips. Trailing her teeth across the surface of the boy's warm skin, she looked back towards Vlad to see him gazing towards her. As their eyes met, she pushed her teeth into the boy's flesh.

Sweet warmth rushed into her mouth and over her tongue and she quickly gulped down the quick streams flowing from the wound she'd just inflicted on the boy. He made no sound, glamoured as well as one could glamour a person. She was thankful for the lack of response, and steadied herself. A voice brushed her rapid thoughts gently. _"_ _ **Calm down, Seras. Drink slowly. Enjoy it. Taste it. Feel what the blood is giving you, feel his life slip away…"**_ She did as she was told.

She could feel her body igniting as she slowed herself down. Pleasure flew through her – a pleasure unlike any she'd ever known. It wasn't carnal, it was… it was simply pleasure. She felt as if time was slowing down and she was suddenly aware of the man who shared the boy with her. She could _feel_ him drinking along with her, and she felt safe. She felt content eating alongside him.

She felt the life slowly slipping from the blood she was drinking – slipping away from the boy she fed from. She didn't want to stop, not when she was just getting started. She suddenly felt angry she'd wasted so much in her first few seconds. She began to drink through her anger, and once again the voice caressed her mind and told her to calm down, that it was almost time for her to stop. But she paid no attention to the voice. It returned, sounding slightly annoyed, but not angry. _**"Seras… You really must learn to listen to me."**_

She brushed the voice away and continued drinking. She felt Vlad pull away from the boy, the sound of weakly rushing blood filling her senses as she was allowed to finish the boy off herself. The last drop of blood hit her tongue and she pulled away after several seconds of trying to get more out of him. She growled, her hunger only exacerbated for the moment. She opened her eyes and looked upon the husk of the boy, instantly shocked. Horror and disgust flooded her stomach as it threatened to expel its gruesome contents. She stood and turned away, staggering backwards towards the bed. Her head was flooded as she was once again overwhelmed. She sprawled out and saw the tall figure of Vlad walk over to her.

"You did well, but you didn't listen to me."

"So what if I drank a little fast?" A sigh was heard. Suddenly she figured out what mattered as a wave of nausea overcame her. She gripped her head as random emotions fled through her body; fear, anger, pain. They were unfamiliar to her, and coupled with the feeling that she was going to puke her guts out, she couldn't help but be a little frightened. "Wha- what's happening?" she cried out, sitting up towards Vlad. He knelt down and held her, whispering in her ear. His smooth whispers were a catalyst among the screaming thoughts in her head and body.

"Blood carries life. Blood carries all the things that come with it – every feeling, memory, and experience. Either you learn to pay no heed to them, or you must take them slowly. If not, well… you're feeling the consequences of inexperience as we speak." She could hear the smirk in his voice and threw her hand out to slap him. He caught it, tightly before his grip loosened to a gentle grasp. "Now, now. It will pass." She groaned, unable to open her eyes to the now-too-bright dim candle light of the room.

As she laid back on the bed, Vlad took it upon himself to dispose of the drained body. Seras shuddered as she pulled her knees towards her chest. Vlad was right – it did pass after several excruciating minutes. She wiped away the remnants of tears she hadn't known she'd spilled and breathed out a sigh of relief. She opened her eyes, the light of the room now more bearable. She could feel an energy fill the room and looked towards the source of it. Vlad was seen entering the room and he stretched his arms in the doorway. He smiled to her.

"All better?" She nodded. "Good." He came close and stroked her cheek. She saw her bloody tears on his finger tips. "How much can one girl cry in a night?" She didn't respond. Vlad sighed and looked out towards the window to see the sky lightening. "It is time for us to speak."

"Alright," Seras said. He moved to the other side of the bed and laid down upon it. Seras followed suit and laid opposite him, their faces inches away. She looked into his dark eyes. She hadn't yet looked in the mirror to see her own.

"Now, the things I'm going to tell you you will not question. You will take them as true; they are the truths as to which you will now live. Is that understood?"

Seras considered his words. "Yes, but am I allowed to ask _any_ questions?" Vlad nodded.

"If I have not answered them by the time I'm done, you may." It was Seras' turn to nod. "I am a vampire. I turned you as you were on the brink of death. Now you are a vampire. You must remember what I tell you next. We are creatures of terror. We are monsters."

* * *

Seras listened to Vlad speak of every facet and crevice to being a vampire for hours. She asked small questions of clarification, even though he'd told her to wait, but he didn't seem annoyed by them. The sound of his voice speaking to her so intimately reminded her of the nights they'd shared previously and she reached up to stroke his cheek. He pushed his face towards her touch as he continued to speak, placing his hand on her waist.

In the span of 36 hours, Seras had gone to a ball, been stabbed by a crazy woman named Hellsing, bled to death, turned into a vampire, and drank the blood of some poor boy – without guilt. She sat through what was nearly a textbook lecture about vampirism, masters and fledglings, mindless vampire slaves called ghouls, vampire hunters, the vampire aristocracy, and more obscure topics that threatened to make her head explode. She considered herself to be handling her new un-life very well, seeing as how she hadn't killed herself due to the sheer incredulousness of her new reality. She sighed and scooted closer to Vlad.

"Please… no more," she whined into his chest. He stopped speaking immediately.

"It's not as if you're not going to have to learn about these things."

"Yes, but not all at once! You're a terrible teacher." He laughed at her fake display of misery.

"Perhaps you're right. Fine, we shall take things in stride. I simply want you to be aware of what you are, Seras. So many have been turned with no guidance. It is cruel and terrible to be forced into a life such as this with no guidance." Seras looked up into his eyes once more and stretched up to kiss his cheek.

"You'll take care of me," she said, reassuring him of any insecurities.

"I will try my best. As I said, you are my responsibility as my fledgling." She sighed.

"I'm more than just your fledgling though." He didn't respond, but she sensed his agreement somehow. He had gone over the bond between a 'Master' and their 'Fledgling,' and she'd tried to attune her body to it as much as she could.

They held each other in their bed, bodies inching closer and closer together until they were all but conjoined. Seras nuzzled in the crook of his neck sleepily, tempted to bite him, his heady, masculine scent filling her lungs. He tightened his grip around her waist, almost in anticipation before turning to a warning. "Don't you dare, Seras Victoria." She sighed against his flesh, sending a chill down his spine.

"I'm sorry, you just… feel so nice." He kissed the top of her head. "I…" she trailed off, suddenly feeling tired. "I'm so tired." He chuckled lightly by her ear.

"Am I that much of a bore? How insulting." She shook her head slowly, eyes fluttering closed as sleep over came her. "You need the sleep anyhow."

Vlad pulled her flush against himself and pushed his face further into her fragrant hair and closed his own eyes. He felt the steady buzzing of her sleep between their new bond, lulling him to sleep with her, and he allowed himself to fall into it. It was as if nothing had changed between them. As if nothing had happened. He remembered briefly what _had_ happened, and he vowed to himself, once more, that he would get his revenge against Integra Hellsing.

That would have to wait for Seras to adjust fully, however. Of course she would want to get revenge as well. They would do it together. Perhaps they wouldn't even need to seek the woman out; she might come to his home to try and finish him off herself and they could -

He yawned, breaking his thoughts. He breathed in an unnecessary breath and sighed, allowed his thoughts to turn blank.


End file.
